Death Blossom

Video: 253 mph in the fastest production car in the world

2007-02-07T14:14:00.000-06:00

Video: Funny Barry Bible

2007-02-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

Think this works?

2007-02-03T07:55:00.001-06:00

Video: The Music-Playing HP Scanjet

2007-01-30T13:33:00.000-06:00

Video: Robotic Arm Ride, a.k.a. The Brain Smearer

2007-01-30T13:31:00.000-06:00

Richard Hammond Crash Footage

2007-01-28T23:06:00.001-06:00

Video: Boeing 777 Wing Ultimate Load Test

2007-01-27T12:26:00.001-06:00

Realistic Physic based desktop manager

2007-01-27T10:11:00.000-06:00

Orange County Choppers at HP

2007-01-27T09:34:00.000-06:00

It looks like the guys on American Chopper are goingto be making a bike for HP. This video was taken around January 15th while the the Teutals were at HP checking out the factory. They also broke some stuff while there were there.

The Office: Playing Call of Duty

2007-01-26T15:54:00.001-06:00

Rapom V8: Road legal drag-machine equipped with a 1.200Hp 8.2 V8 Mopar engine

2007-01-25T10:14:00.000-06:00

And to think that there’re some people out there who believe that the Dodge Viper is absurd… Ha! Tipping the scale at 454 kg or 1.000 lb, the Rapom is equipped with a 8,2-litre supercharged Mopar V8 engine (tuned by ICE Racing) that runs on alcohol producing 1000 - 1200hp (depending on blower speed and fuel used). Although technically the Rapom is Road-legal (or… Road-lethal if you prefer), it is only used on the roads for a 10 mile journey back and forth to a local drag racing strip by its creator and owner, Nick Argyle. The builder tells us that the bike was spawned “from the unusual marriage of convenience and naivety”. See, after selling the chassis of his monster truck, Nick Argyle was searching for a much smaller project. He said: “I didn’t have the same workshop space I had when I built the truck. I only had the house garage so it had to be a bike. I was going to buy a new engine for the project but my wife told me to use the one that was still in a garage – a monster truck engine! Despite its size, I thought why not?’ I guess his neighbours must feel relieved that he didn’t have any Jumbo jets lying around his backyard…

Video: Audi’s New R8 In Las Vegas

2007-01-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

Article here

Vista serial number

2007-01-23T09:23:00.000-06:00

YFKBB-PQJJV-69188-VWGXY-2V3X8
This guy has got some balls. Funny, but its an RTM that's 2 months old and needs to be activated every 30 days or will timebomb at the end of May 2007.

Quote on how Microsoft blocks activation numbers:
"I've been working for MS for a while now (through an outsourced company) and I can tell you that any key is blockable -it's super easy to send an email (containing a product key) to 'actual' MS employees who will then ban the emailed key -this happens many times a day -usually due to stolen credit cards used to purchase Additional Licences of XP. And while I have yet to email a key for Vista -I'm sure that the process is just as easy. The 'tell' that a key is blocked is if an activation agent asks you to click the 'Change Product Key' button on the Activation Dialogue: you type in the key and it keeps comming back is invalid: *Inference*: the key has been 'blocked'. BTW -I have absolutely ZERO interrest in preventing piracy of MS products -the only time I send out the dreaded 'ban this key email' is when someone is doing 2 things: 1) obviously pirating, and MUCH more important, 2) being abusive when they deal MS staff who are just doing their job.
As an aside: when you are activating windows by telephone and the Activation agent asks you for your product key: start the countdown if you are using a pirated key -our asking you for the key means that we will be submitting your key for review, ie: MS will be actively watching for usage of that key -and if they determine that it's being used too much they will ban it -and I suspect (just conjecture here) that future MS anti-piracy innitiatives will disable or cripple versions of Windows using the suspect key.
I feel like I have to say, again, that I have NO interrest in the protection of MS (or any other proprietary software) I'm just trying to explain how it works at MS.
I ALSO feel I should point out that VISTA cracks are a little early -most PCs will not be able to properly run Vista. My personal feeling is that only PCs running a relatively (I almost didn't say relatively, btw) modern dedicated GFX card; a processor running 3 GHz or faster (there might be some movement on this point); and 2, count 'em, TWO Gigs of RAM. -If your PC doesn't measure-up then you are going to find Vista sluggish -at least.
Interrestingly enough Office 2007 seems to work very well on ANY semi-modern PC -And the jump from Office 2003 and Office 2007 is BY FAR (let me say that again: BY FAR) a bigger leap than the jump between XP and Vista.
I, btw, have decided to not install Vista -not just because of the system reqs. -maybe it's the same thing as those users of 2000 felt about XP -but Vista's DRM makes me more than a little uncomfortable.
For the time-being: I dual boot Ubuntu and XP.
(sorry for the long post: I just wanted to share a few thoughts)
(ps-To any MS staffers who frown upon employees expressing opinion: the moniker 'fiver22' represents, not a single person, but about 10 trillion employees -no, really...please believe me. Just because you catch me signing into Digg from work doesn't mean I'm actually THAT 'fiver22', ok?)"

Carroll Shelby's personal Cobra brings $5 MIL

2007-01-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Supersnake -- Lot #1301 Sold at $5,000,000
From Autoblog:

The only surviving dual supercharged factory Cobra, this Supersnake was Carroll Shelby's personal car. "When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road," said Shelby. "Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world." Unfortunately, after selling for a gavel price of $5 MIL, it's unlikely this car will see any more roads, let alone kicking tail.

CSX3015 started out as one of the 19 production Competition Cobras and was then cranked up a notch to produce 800 supercharged horsepower. The twin Paxton supercharged 427 was mated to a three-speed automatic transmission. One other Supersnake was built for comedian Bill Cosby, but was wrecked, making this one the only factory survivor. The huge rush of having this extraordinary vehicle bring such a well-deserved insane top bid could be felt for miles around Westworld. We didn't get a chance to ask Shelby about the car during lunch, but we can guess that he was pretty happy with the result.

Video: Demetri Martin

2007-01-17T23:43:00.000-06:00

U.S. Air Force, Boeing demonstrate advanced airborne networking first

2007-01-16T09:11:00.000-06:00

This illustration shows how the Project Marti concept would work in an urban combat scenario. The near-space vehicle (at center, above) receives near real-time data and images (represented by yellow lines) from lower-altitude unmanned aerial systems through an Internet Protocol network. An information broker onboard the near-space vehicle distributes to ground troops and ground stations only the data (represented by red lines) that matches users’ subscriptions. (Boeing graphic)

Boeing Phantom Works and the U.S. Air Force have demonstrated for the first time how -- with advanced airborne networking and information management technology -- a near-space vehicle can be used as a flexible, low-cost, theaterwide information broker that provides real-time tactical information to ground forces to enhance their effectiveness and survivability.

The demonstration, held late last year in Chandler, Ariz., was the first in a series of experiments dubbed Project Marti (after Radio Marti, a U.S. government radio station that broadcasts information 24/7). The Marti concept seeks to combine the wide-area coverage and loiter time of a near-space vehicle -- such as a High Altitude Long Endurance concept vehicle -- with the sensing ability and agility of lower-altitude unmanned air systems -- such as the Boeing/Insitu Group's ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial System.

"The challenge here is much more than just the establishment of a high-altitude communications relay," said Patrick Stokes, Phantom Works manager of Network-Centric Operations-related programs. "It's really all about effectively bringing the power of real-time information to bear within a tactical theater, and doing so without the need for an expensive, fixed infrastructure."

To bring this communication power to the troops, Project Marti is leveraging innovative information management brokering techniques to provide advanced publish-and-subscribe capabilities across a broad geographical region. Researchers from Phantom Works and the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate recently conducted an initial risk-reduction demonstration of these capabilities.

In the demonstration, multiple information sources, including ground-based software clients representing low-altitude unmanned aerial systems (such as the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle), delivered near real-time imagery and data through an Internet Protocol network to an airborne information broker (onboard a balloon acting as a surrogate for a near-space vehicle).

The sources transmitted the data simultaneously in a Cursor-on-Target format that allows accurate tactical information to be passed more efficiently among multiple systems. The information broker then successfully distributed to ground stations only the data that matched users' subscriptions.

"This demonstration was the first instance of an airborne information manager storing published UAS sensor data for delivery to ground-based subscribers, who could then utilize that data on a tactical display," said Jim Paunicka, Phantom Works principal investigator on Project Marti. "The subscribers need only display the data that's relevant to their tactical missions, much in the way that an Internet user would employ a search engine to obtain relevant information."

Future tests in Project Marti will expand the amount and complexity of data as well as the number of assets involved. The tests will culminate in a tactically relevant live flight demonstration in which multiple airborne and near-space assets will operate over an extended range to support a large number of ground units.

During this final demonstration, planned for early 2008, live imagery and tactical data from UAS sensors (including those onboard a ScanEagle) will be published to the airborne network through an information broker on a high-altitude surrogate near-space vehicle -- a balloon that will be launched to about 80,000 feet (24,380 meters). Ground units will be able to collaborate with each other to subscribe to data relevant to their respective missions.

Project Marti is one of several programs that support the AFRL's Tactical Information Dominance vision to show how combined UAS and near-space assets can provide widespread information access in tactical operations.

Video: Netflix to offer online movie viewing

2007-01-16T08:56:00.000-06:00

From CNN:

Online movie rental service Netflix introduced a new feature Tuesday to allow customers to watch movies and television series on their personal computers and said it will make the new feature available to its subscribers in a phased rollout during the next six months.

Netflix (Charts) will continue to offer DVDs by mail to customers for a fixed monthly fee. They will have the additional option of instantly watching about 1,000 movies and television series on their PCs at no additional cost, according to the company's statement.

Customers using the service will have to perform a one-time installation of a browser applet that will take less than a minute. Then most subscribers' movie selections will begin playing in their Web browser in as little as 10 to 15 seconds after loading.

Movies can be paused and a position bar gives viewers the ability to jump to any point in the movie.

Internet connectivity with a minimum of one megabit per second of bandwidth is required. Faster connections are needed for better quality playback of the programming, with DVD quality possible with a three-megabit-per-second connection, according to the company.

The service will base the number of online viewing hours on a customer's plan. A client with the entry-level $5.99 a month plan will be able to watch movies online for six hours a month, while those with the full $17.99 a month plan that allows them to rent three DVDs at a time will be able to watch 18 hours a month online.

Project Grizzly inventor crafts real-world Halo suit for military use

2007-01-15T08:41:00.000-06:00

Via Engadget:

While it's not likely that you'll encounter the Arbiter on any given day, the slightly off-kilter Project Grizzly inventor has gone out of his way (and possibly his mind) to create what resembles a real-life Halo suit, sporting protection from gunfire and ensuring you an award at Covenant gatherings. Troy Hurtubise created the suit, dubbed Trojan, in hopes of protecting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and US soldiers in Iraq, and considering that it has withstood knives, bullets, light explosives, clubs, and even a round from an elephant gun, it sounds like quite the winner. Proclaimed to be the "first ballistic, full exoskeleton body suit of armor," Trojan is crafted from high-impact plastic lined with ceramic bullet protection over ballistic foam, and features nearly endless compartments, morphine / salt containers, knife and gun holsters, emergency lights, a built-in recording device, pepper spray, ingestible transponder for those "last resort" scenarios, and there's even a fresh air system powered by solar panels within the helmet. Mr. Hurtubise claims the 18 kilograms (40 pounds) suit is comfortable enough to make road trips in (yes, he tried it), and if any major military would take him up on it, they could reportedly be produced for "around $2,000 apiece." Now that's a bargain, folks.

SNL - Steve Jobs iPhone

2007-01-14T10:05:00.000-06:00

Impossible wooden structure?

2007-01-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

Movie of how it works here

New Swiss Supercar – the Beck LM 800

2007-01-12T11:47:00.000-06:00

Though not known for its auto industry, Switzerland can boast at least two supercar builders: Rinspeed and now Beck Engineering and Composites. Beck showed off its LM800 this week at the Luxus Motor Show in Vienna. It's powered by a 4.2 liter, 650 hp, turbocharged, MTM V8, attached to a 7-speed semi-sequential gearbox. The car's description sounds more Formula 1 than street car: Kevlar, carbon fiber, pneumatic jacks. But it also has luxuries, including air conditioning, satellite navigation, keyless entry, and leather seats. The only options on the $600,500 car are power windows, an LCD screen, additional airbags and a higher output engine.

At just under 2,000 pounds including driver and a full tank of gas, Beck's claim of 0-60 in three seconds and top speed near 217 MPH is believable. Performance must be Veyron-like with the upgraded 1,000 hp engine.

TV Shows Become Podcasts Instead Of Being Paid Content In iTunes Store

2007-01-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

From TUAW:

So why is it that TV shows are now starting to show up as podcasts rather than in the iTunes store? Today the first episode of Season 2 of Extras became available through iTunes--but it's a podcast. Something similar happened the other day with the PBS science pilots, also available as podcasts. So what's the deal?

Normally, we've been expecting audio blogs, interviews and behind-the-scenes looks in the podcast section and pay-for-episodes in the store. So why is it that entire episodes are now starting to appear in podcastland? Is it just licensing terms? Or is it that this works internationally? Or is it that this way vendors don't have to pre-buy a million episodes at once like ABC did a few months ago? If you have some insight into this new trend (assuming it is a trend), let us know in the comments.

I'm guessing this is just a teaser to get us hooked before the pay version comes out. The article seems to think this is some sort of trend but the only other example was a PBS show which you would expect to be free anyway. Does anyone else have examples of this growing "trend?"

Image: Peacekeeper-missile-testing

2007-01-12T10:31:00.000-06:00

LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile system being tested at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The lines shown are the re-entry vehicles -- one Peacekeeper can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each independently targeted. Were the warheads armed with a nuclear payload, each would carry with it the explosive power of twenty-five Hiroshima-sized weapons.

From the comments on Digg:

"I've been on island for these tests, so I'll help everyone out here.
1) The launches are from Vandenberg AFB
2) The REV's are NOT traveling at 4k MPH. Honest. That's the DISTANCE from Vandenberg to Kwaj RTS (Reagan Test Site)
3) There are tons of these pictures. The Kwaj. calendar every year has one of these on the cover, and is distributed all over. Whenever there's a "mission" everybody who isn't directly involved in it (doing telemetry, security, whatever) turns out at the north end on Kwaj to watch them come in. I probably have three or four mission pictures that I've taken.
4) Generally launches occur around 2200 island time, and the warheads splashdown at 2230-ish (I think the total flight time is around 22 minutes or so, but I don't know that for-sure for sure). I'd compute the actual speed for everyone, but I don't know the exact altitude before MRV.
5) The REV's come in one-at-a-time through the clouds. No, you don't see the streak. You see a very bright "dot" (although it looks big for a dot to me) come in on the path to the ocean. There are never two visible at once. I would imagine that's so the folks in telemetry have an easier time of it during the test.
6) The total time that REV's are visible is about 1 minute.
7) When I was there, two or three missions were held each year.
8) No, you can't visit. It's a military base. The only way you get out there is to be hired or to know or be related to someone who already is out there.
9) It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Better than Hawaii by a TON. The diving in particular is spectacular. Due to the low population in and around the lagoon, the reefs are just outstanding.
10) One of the three world-wide GPS control stations is there.
11) The mission performed by the men and women involved in this work is critically important. The physicists, technicians, computer scientists, and others that work on Roi, Meck, an Kwaj (and a few other islands in the atoll) have learned an enormous amount about not only ballistic missiles, but re-entry of other objects as well. That technology, wisdom, and experience are critically important in, for example, the ability to determine the threat that NEO's pose to Earth, and in determining the threat that rogue states such as PRK pose to their neighbors."

Video: Aluminum foil boat floats on dense, invisible gas

2007-01-12T10:17:00.000-06:00

What they have is Sulfur hexafluoride. It’s 5.11 times as dense as air. It’s non toxic, although it’s byproducts can be extremely dangerous.

Video: A Closer Look At The iPhone

2007-01-12T09:47:00.001-06:00

PQI's 64GB SSD with SATA

2007-01-12T09:11:00.000-06:00

PQI just announced the availability of their 64GB, 2.5-inch drive -- doubling the size of current SSDs packed in either 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch IDE enclosures. No word on pricing yet.

Geometry trick to get free drinks at the bar

2007-01-10T19:28:00.000-06:00

Apple iPhone

2007-01-10T09:03:00.000-06:00

Specs of the 11.6 millimeter device include a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the screen when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 4GB or 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quad-band GSM radio with EDGE. Runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes with CoverFlow. A partnership with Yahoo will allow all iPhone customers to hook up with free push IMAP email. Apple quotes 5 hours of battery life for talk or video, with a full 16 hours in music mode -- no word on standby time yet. The 4GB iPhone will go out the door in the US as a Cingular exclusive for $499 on a two-year contract, 8GB for $599. Ships Stateside in June, Europe in fourth quarter, Asia in 2008.

Hands on Review from David Pogue:

"Today, I had meetings with Steve Jobs and then Phil Schiller, Apple’s director of worldwide marketing. I basically played with the iPhone the entire hour.
Here are some of the things you can’t tell without actually handling and using the iPhone:
* It feels amazing in your hand. Not like an iPod, not like a Treo — but something new. It’s so thin, and the rounded stainless-steel edges are so smooth, you can excuse its larger-than-Treo façade. When you’re on a call, it’s so cool how the screen turns off to save power, thanks to its proximity sensor.
* You operate the iPhone with your fingertips. Apart from buttons that appear on the touch screen, the only physical buttons are volume up/down, ringer on/off, sleep/wake and a Home button.
Apple went through numerous iterations of the glass surface, trying to find one that’s not too slick or too rough, or that shows grease and fingerprints too much. You still get finger streaks, but they’re relatively subtle and a quick wipe on your sleeve takes care of them.
* During my one test call, the sound quality was loud and clear. Of course, your mileage (and your Cingular signal) will vary.
* Typing is difficult. The letter keys are just pictures on the glass screen, so of course there’s no tactile feedback.
Software helps a lot. You can afford to make a lot of typos as you muddle through a word, because the software analyzes which keys you *might* have meant and figures out the word you wanted. Its best guess appears just under what you’ve typed; if it’s correct, you tap the Space bar to accept it and continue. I typed a couple of e-mail messages with lots of typos but eventually 100 percent accuracy, thanks to this auto-correct feature. (My testing didn’t involve proper names, however.)
Bottom line: Heavy BlackBerry addicts may not want to jump ship just yet.
* The phone won’t be available until June, so some of its software isn’t finished yet. As I tapped my way into obscure corners of the phone, Mr. Jobs pointed out a couple of spots where only a placeholder graphic was available.
* Both in the onstage demo and during my hands-on hour, the Web speed was OK—not great, but OK. But all of this used the phone’s built-in Wi-Fi, not Cingular’s notoriously slow Edge network. I couldn’t help wondering how bad the speed will be when you’re connecting over the cellular airwaves. (Here again, though, I was playing with a prototype whose software will undergo a lot of fine-tuning between now and June.)
* I tried out the camera. It was really cool to frame a shot using the HUGE 3.5-inch screen; it’s rare to find that big a screen on any camera. The refresh rate felt typical of a camera-phone to me, but Mr. Jobs said that it would be much smoother by the time the phone is done.
* The Web browsing experience is incredible. You see the entire Web page on the iPhone’s screen. You double-tap any spot to zoom in. Or you use the two-fingered spread-apart gesture to “stretch” the image larger, or pinch your thumb and forefinger on the glass to zoom out again. The manipulation is seamless, smoothly animated—and useful. Using Google Maps to get you driving directions and maps, for example, is just light-years simpler and more powerful than on any other machine, thanks to this “rubber Web page” stretching technology."

Boeing, Rockwell offer Enhanced Vision System for Jets

2007-01-10T08:58:00.000-06:00

Boeing [NYSE: BA] Business Jets and Rockwell Collins today introduced an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) offering for Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) operators. The offering will be available to BBJ customers through Boeing and Rockwell Collins service bulletins, and certification for the system is expected by early 2008.

The Rockwell Collins EVS presents an image of the external environment on the Head-up Guidance System (HGS®) and head-down displays to enhance pilot situational awareness of terrain and the airport environment in low-visibility situations. When displayed on the HGS, EVS allows the pilot to descend below minimums, if the visual references to the intended runway are visible using the EVS.

"The EVS upgrade will increase safety and operational capability of the aircraft by enhancing situational awareness at night or in poor weather conditions," said John Desmond, vice president, Rockwell Collins HGS. "We look forward to working closely with Boeing to deliver this offering to their BBJ customers."

"Boeing is pleased to collaborate with Rockwell Collins to provide EVS capability on BBJs," said Boeing Business Jets President Steven Hill. "Boeing constantly evaluates and adds cutting-edge technology that brings value to our customers and enhances the performance and efficiency of a great product like the BBJ."

Rockwell Collins has teamed with Max-Viz to complete the certification of EVS on the BBJ. Rockwell Collins will incorporate a Max-Viz multi-wavelength infrared sensor into the Rockwell Collins HGS. BBJ operators that upgrade to the new EVS system will require an upgrade to their HGS 4000, as well as the infrared camera.

Flipping Japanese Roller Coaster

2007-01-09T08:37:00.001-06:00

HD is so old. Quad HD is where its at.

2007-01-09T08:29:00.000-06:00

From TomsHardware:

1080p is really what you should be looking for in a new high-definition HDTV, but the next generation is just around the corner: Westinghouse showcases a 2160p - commonly referred to as a Quad HDTV.

The 52" TV runs a super high-resolution of 2160p (3840 x 2160 pixels). In absolute numbers, the device is running a stunning 8.3 megapixels - four times more than 1080p TVs (1920x1080p) and more than twice the resolution of Dell's, HP's and Apple's 30" desktop LCDs. So, what do you get from this resolution, especially if HD DVD and Blu-ray are running only 1080p anyway?

According to Westinghouse, the TV does not really target the consumer market, but high-end industrial applications. What we saw was a demo of an oil company viewing a digital version of a mining site. And even at this very specialized application, the difference to the best 1080p we saw at CES appeared to be marginal, at least to our eyes. However, of course you do see a much clearer picture when compared to some lower-priced 1080p TVs. Westinghouse said that it has begun taking orders for the 2160p. However, the TV will not come to the consumer market anytime soon. Company officials decline dto comment on pricing, but the highest resolution on the market combined with limited availability are a good indication for one pricey TV.

VIDEO: Live demo of Ford/Microsoft's Sync

2007-01-08T14:23:00.000-06:00

From Autoblog:

Our car-culture obsessive friends over at Jalopnik traveled into the bowels of FoMoCo to get some exclusive playtime with the Sync, the infotainment progeny of the Ford and Microsoft partnership.

You can view the first installment, as Ray Wert sits down with one of Ford's techy PR people for a demo and comes away more than just impressed. Once you see the video, you'll understand why, as the Sync seemed to make everything look, well, easy. Does it get any simpler than just plugging any USB equipped music player (or simple flash drive) into a port in the armrest, speaking the name of the song and then forgetting about it?

Just the fact that they got a speech recognition function to work is enough to impress, but what if you don't have your iPod isn't at, but you're Bluetooth phone can stream music? Even simpler. The system integrates with the phone and, as long as you have Microsoft Windows Media Player and an internet connection, you can stream whatever you like: music, talk radio, our podcasts and whatever else you can find online.

What does a hard drive look like inside while in use?

2007-01-07T11:33:00.000-06:00

German robotics group crafts LEGO factory to build... LEGO cars

2007-01-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

t's one thing to craft something remarkable all by your lonesome, but constructing an entire factory to handle all the dirty work for you is really doing something. A robotics group assembled (ahem) at a German "grammar school" (VHG) in lower Bavaria has fabricated a feat that even Toys R Us would marvel over, as the group's expansive LEGO Mindstorm factory was built entirely out of LEGO blocks, and moreover, programmed to assemble LEGO-based vehicles. Taking a note from every other major assembly plant in the world, this automated construction site feeds blocks from one end to the other, carefully pushing, pulling, and connecting pieces as necessary to completely assemble a LEGO car.

DDRdrive uses PCIe and DDR RAM to increase speed of mainstream solid state disks

2007-01-05T08:42:00.000-06:00

They need to come out with this now! Booting a computer from windows in 10 seconds! Yes please! Heres a video of Gigabyte's I-ram in action:

TomsHardware reports from the CES 2007 show:

If you are wondering about the other type of SSDs, powered by SDRAMs, we have been waiting for some products, especially the DDRdrive, but haven't heard anything about a public display yet. Of course, the recent speed hype in the performance memory segment will continue - with Patriot showing 1302 MHz DDR2 modules. Also, Rambus will promote its XDR memory modules by having a Playstation 3 console ready for action at its booth.

From Tomshardware original article:

Gigabyte's i-Ram and HyperOs Systems' HyperDrive III solid state disk recently gave us a first impression that solid state storage is making its way into the mainstream: And there is more to come in the near future: DDRdrive will soon release a PCI Express device that uses external power to ensure the memory will not lose its stored data.

Video: Remote Controlled airplane with on board camera

2007-01-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

Bezos unleashes space rocket prototype

2007-01-04T09:45:00.000-06:00

From Cnet:

After years of secrecy surrounding his space exploration venture (Blue Origin), Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is pumping up his aspirations with a first-generation suborbital space rocket and an open plea to hire aerospace engineers.

Videos:

Here is a video of the launch. Maximum altitude on this first development flight was about 285 feet.

This on-board video shows a landing gear and a thruster. You can see small movements of the thruster as it vectors to control the vehicle

SanDisk Unveils 32GB Drop-In Replacement Solid State Drive for Notebooks

2007-01-04T09:35:00.000-06:00

From Gizmodo and Cnet:

SanDisk is looking to replace that spinning, power-hungry hard drive in your laptop with a 1.8-inch solid state 32GB flash drive. The company says its cool-running SSD Ultra ATA 5000 1.8" drive is a drop-in replacement for those old-fashioned mechanical hard disks. It packs the performance, too, with a 62MB-per-second read speed while using less than half the battery power of conventional discs.

Its most impressive spec is its random read rate of 7300 inputs and outputs per second, 100 times faster than most hard disks, letting the thing boot Microsoft Windows Vista in 35 seconds. That's about 28 seconds faster than a garden-variety hard disk can do. It's much smaller than the 2.5-inch 32GB flash drive Samsung introduced last March, but it's still rather pricey, adding around $600 to a laptop in which it resides. Going out to equipment manufacturers now, the company says we'll be seeing notebooks with this drive inside by the middle of this year.

Video: First video footage of Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter UAV landing

2007-01-03T13:28:00.000-06:00

Video footage of the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Navy Fire Scout unmanned helicopter on its maiden flight surfaced this week.

The US Navy's vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned air vehicle (formerly the RQ-8A) made its first flight at the Webster Field annex of Patuxent River Naval air station, in St. Inigoes, Maryland.

Navy blog site Naval Open Source Intelligence has obtained a copy of the previously unavailable Northrop Grumman video sequence and posted it on the file sharing site YouTube.

During flight test, three scenarios were tested including a landing on a ship. Other software tests included the command for launch abort.

Samsung readies flash memory for 32 GB solid state disk

2007-01-03T08:54:00.000-06:00

From Tomshardware:
Seoul (Korea) - Samsung said that it has begun sampling of 50 nm NAND flash memory chips that are required to build the long announced 32 GB 2.5 GB solid state disk (SSD). The flash drive is expected to replace traditional hard drives in higher end notebooks and offer significant advantages in data transfer rates as well as power consumption.

The new memory chips bump the density of the previous NAND flash generation from 8 Gb(it) to 16 Gb. In a 16 x 16 Gb configuration, the device will reach the originally promised capacity of 32 GB. Previously promised prototypes of the 2.5" SSD used 4 Gb and 8 Gb chips, which resulted in capacities of 8 GB and 16 GB, respectively.

The company first announced plans to ship a SSD in March 2006 and since then has provided very few updates on the likely availability of the drive - other than the device will be introduced around the launch date of Windows Vista. Samsung recently received the Windows Hardware Qualification Lab (WHQL) for the SSD; mass production of the 16 Gb chips is planned to ramp in the current quarter.

The manufacturer claims that its upcoming 1.8" and 2.5" SSDs will reach data read speeds of 57 MB/s and a data write speed of 32 MB/s, which would be more than double the performance levels of a typical 1.8" hard disk drive. In a recent test conducted by Tom's Hardware Guide, a 32 GB Samsung SSD posted impressive performance numbers, but did not quite match the firm's claims: Read speed came in at about 50 MB/s and write speeds averaged 29 MB/s.

The test also found that the SSD consumed only 0.9 watts under full load - less than half what a traditional notebook drive consumes. In idle mode, the drive asked for only 0.05 watts, which is only 10 - 16% the power consumption of an idle hard drive. Samsung claims that the power characteristics can extend the battery running time of a SSD-based notebook by up to 30 minutes when compared to a system with a common hard drive.

Features of Windows Vista, including system acceleration that leverages excess capacity in SDRAM and Flash memory devices, will allow chip manufacturers such as Samsung to play a much more important role in the storage market than in the past. For example, Samsung said that it will be offering a 2.5" 4 GB SSD that will work alongside a hard drive and support Vista's "Ready Boost" feature. 4 GB, according to Samsung, are enough to process about 4000 requests per second - requests that typically would be sent and served by the hard drive.

The Korean semiconductor company is also a driving force in developing a market for hybrid hard drives - hard drives that combine NAND flash memory with traditional hard drive technology. Earlier last year, Samsung told TG Daily that hybrid hard drives would be shipping "in large quantities" in January 2007. Specifications of the devices have not been revealed yet, but prototypes used NAND flash with capacities of 128 KB and 256 KB. Samsung promises that this will be enough to enable notebooks to run up to 30 minutes longer and boot up to 50% faster than comparable devices with a common hard drive.

First post of 2007: Tech Predictions from "Wired"

2007-01-02T10:27:00.000-06:00

Google Stock Hits $1,000 per Share

Internet Traffic Doubles ...
to 5,000 petabits per day by the end of 2007. And 80 percent of it is peer-to-peer file sharing, mostly Skype video and BitTorrent.

BitTorrent on TiVo
Speaking of, digital video recorders get BitTorrent baked in, bringing internet video to the living room.

Spam Doubles
No-brainer -- but no one cares because we're all using IM, especially at work.

Second Life Ends a Life
Skullduggery in Second Life -- probably digital adultery -- ends in a real-life murder.

Year o' the Laptop
Half of all new computers sold in 2007 will be laptops and 20 percent of those will be Apple's MacBooks.

Print to Web
A major newspaper gives up printing on paper to publish exclusively online.

Semel Says 'Sayonara'
Yahoo CEO Terry Semel discovers he wants to spend more time with his family.

Apple Goes Apple
The entire Beatles catalog is licensed exclusively to iTunes for a year.

HD-DVD Wins
HD-DVD is the clear winner over Blu-ray in the DVD format wars. Oh yeah, and the PS3 is a bust.

Implantable Contact Lenses
Synthetic corneas will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, allowing the shortsighted to have artificial contact lenses transplanted right into their eyes. No more popping out!

Digg Becomes the New Friendster
Digg holds out for a big payday but ends up like Friendster (i.e., no friends).

No More Dads
Artificial gametes made from female eggs are sold over the internet, making fathers biologically irrelevant.

PaedoSpace
Sex offenders start their own social networking service. It's popular on Capitol Hill.

Life on Mars
One of the Mars rovers lasts another year on the red planet (making it four years total). The other plunges into a crater.

Greenland Becomes Green
As the ice melts, Greenland becomes literally green.

Raelians Need Not Apply
A human embryo is cloned for real.

First AT&T, Then Google
A whistle-blower reveals that the National Security Agency has been wiretapping Google for some time.

Google Goes G-Man
Google gives up search queries to the feds. Likely scenario: The FBI asks who's been searching for terms like "dirty bomb" and Google hands over all the IP addresses.

Don't Don't Be Evil
Google drops "Don't be evil" as its corporate mantra. Evil has its justifications, but no one likes a hypocrite.

DNA Database for Athletes
To stamp out doping, the Olympic Committee orders all athletes to submit DNA samples to a global database, which matches blood found in doping forensics to cheats. Forensics include needles, tubes, bags of blood and skin cells on stacks of 100-euro notes seized at doping clinics.

Online Sitcom Picked Up by Network
Encouraged by the news, the internet becomes home to 5,000 clones of Friends, shot by friends using their friends but unwatched even by their friends.

They're Watching You
Congress passes a law requiring internet service providers to keep logs of all web traffic and e-mail for three years.

NYT Goes Free
The New York Times opens its archives from behind the paid firewall, realizing it's more lucrative to be the internet's paper of record than charging readers for individual stories. Thankfully, Thomas Friedman's clichés and mixed metaphors remain behind the pay firewall for at least two weeks.

MySpace Spaces Out
MySpace splinters as teens head for niche sites. New services that control profiles across multiple social networking sites begin to take off.

No more TIVO, DVDs, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray!

2006-12-21T11:34:00.000-06:00

From NewTeeVee:

Michael Arrington is breaking up1. With Netflix, and switching loyalties to Blockbuster, the video rental store which conjures up late fees and bad customer service in my mind.

2Mike is making good arguments for switching to Blockbuster, but for me the future of video is not Netflix or Blockbuster. Instead it is Akimbo and services like Akimbo.

Ever since going pro with GigaOM3, my life has become extremely hectic, forcing me to prioritize the health and future of the company over frivolous activities like watching television. I have given the cable TV premium package the heave-ho, and ever since the Yankees embarrassed themselves, I have not turned on the television.

Whenever I feel like watching some entertainment stuff, I often go to the iTunes store and download a couple of episodes of Monk or some show I actually care about.

But last week, Josh Goldman, CEO of San Mateo, Calif.-based Akimbo, convinced me that I should try the new RCA Akimbo Player. He said I would get great programs and movies and still wouldn’t need to watch TV in the traditional sense.

“You have now have five out of seven major studios supplying movies on this box,” he said. “There are 15,000 videos on it. It is not a cable replacement, it is like a DVD player or a DVD rental service. So you have to really see it.”

An hour later, one of his people dropped off a box. Now I actually had to play with it, though I was dreading the idea of setting it up, mucking around with network settings and what not. Typically such boxes take about three hours to get working properly. It was late at night, but I unpacked the box anyway. A handful of cables, a remote control, and that’s all.

One of the tricks I have learned with any network device is that you are better off using a wired Ethernet connection than trying to get wireless settings to work. I know it is not pretty! I turned off the modem, and the switch, plugged the wire into the back of RCA box, and connected the S-Video and audio cables to my LCD TV. And then switched everything back on, and turned on Akimbo.

It took me to the set-up screen, only to find that the network was configured, and there was a list of channels to chose from. I quickly went to the Movielink channel, and queued up four movies; went to BBC to download Fawlty Towers, and a bunch of Bollywood programs. The whole process took less than 30 minutes.

The downloads started pretty fast, and I could have started watching the movies right away if I wanted, but this being the first time, I decided to wait till next morning. I kept adding items to my queue, including new movies, and by the weekend there was nearly 24 hours worth of movies, television programs and Rocketbooms - stuff that I actually wanted to watch. This is television… exploded4.

Damn you Josh, you just distracted me from work!

My initial impressions of Akimbo are - from a usability stand point, it gets full marks, but its user interface is well… like Kate Moss without makeup. The picture is not as crisp I would have liked it to be, but you can barely tell the difference between a DVD and the download. The biggest issue is that of price: a monthly subscription and then per movie downloads can get awfully expensive pretty fat. Nevertheless, I am getting used to watching the television programs that are all good — so, Akimbo is staying with me for a while. No DVDs, no envelopes, no visits to the store, just click and add to the queue. What’s more, no PC necessary!

HALO THEME LIVE

2006-12-20T20:43:00.001-06:00

Awesome Emergency Landing Without Gear

2006-12-20T20:40:00.000-06:00

The Hole - video powered by Metacafe

Freakin Funny- Game demo Hell

2006-12-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

He pretends to be giving a LAN game demo, but every moment of game footage being shown was crafted & pre-recorded in advance, and everything he does is entirely scripted -- but looks as though he is demonstrating the game live. The audience, of course, is totally unaware of the fakery . . . and are slowly dragged through game demo hell. The original performance is over twenty minutes long; these are the highlights.

Amazing excavator unloading

2006-12-20T20:26:00.000-06:00

13 year old hockey player with ridiculous goal scoring skills

2006-12-20T20:24:00.001-06:00

How to Fake a Rubik's Cube Stunt problem with your feet

2006-12-20T20:19:00.000-06:00

2006 Tech Year in Review

2006-12-20T14:46:00.001-06:00

The year 2006 began with Microsoft playing second fiddle to Google but promising big things in the not-too-distant future.

The year finished up much the same way, with Microsoft--again under pressure from Google, but still making big promises about breakthrough products over the horizon. In between, the past 12 months added up to a transitional year for the computer business as new technologies and new business models further scrambled the industry constellation of forces.

While Microsoft struggled to ship its already much-delayed Windows Vista operating system, the spotlight turned to the scores of new consumer Internet companies loosely grouped under the Web 2.0 banner. While Google tended to garner most of the attention, these no-name start-ups accounted for the biggest burst of Internet entrepreneurship since the heyday of the dot-com bubble era.

The increasing shift toward Internet-centric technologies also played out in Microsoft's reorganization in the wake of Bill Gates' announcement that he would slowly step out of day-to-day decision making over the next two years. Even as Microsoft continues to generate the bulk of its revenue the old-fashioned way, the company took steps to deliver more of its software as part of a stream of Internet services.

Silicon Valley also had its eye on the search for alternative energy supplies. As the cost of a barrel of crude oil touched record highs by mid-year, a political and business consensus grew up around the idea that the status quo is untenable. So it was that the venture capital community began sinking even more money into start-ups exploring ways of generating energy from non-fossil fuel sources. No breakthroughs were reported, but there also was no shortage of ideas. Maybe 2007 will be the breakout year everyone is waiting for.

In the meantime, 2006 was also the year of a bizarre high-tech whodunit as Hewlett-Packard became embroiled in a corporate spy scandal. An internal investigation designed to ferret out the source of a boardroom leak to the media ultimately forced the resignation of several top executives--including its chairman--and the filing of criminal charges by the California state attorney general.

As the year drew to a close, the game community had ample cause for excitement as it could now choose among next-generation consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. This was much more than a competition for bragging rights. With huge investments at stake, the pressure to win this competition became ever more intense.

--Charles Cooper

Video: The Joy Of Handbrake Parking

2006-12-20T10:29:00.000-06:00

War Games 2 — The Dead Code

2006-12-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

Sequel to the classic hacker movie, "Wargames":

Matt Lanter (”Heroes”) will star in the sequel to the 1983 film starring Matthew Broderick “War Games 2 — The Dead Code,” Stuart Gillard directs from a script by Randall M. Badat. Lanter plays computer hacker Will Farmer, whose world gets turned upside after playing an online terrorist-attack simulator game against a government super-computer designed to profile potential terrorists. All hell breaks loose when Homeland Security is convinced that he’s a terrorist intent on disrupting the fabric of society. Production starts November 20 in Montreal.

Illumio lets you search other people's brains

2006-12-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

From Mercury News:

Imagine if you could search through the information in your colleagues' heads and uncover unknown areas of expertise and serendipitous connections -- like a mutual interest in organic gardening or open-source databases.

That's not a search you can do on Google. But it is one you can do thanks to the Internet and a free application called Illumio developed by Tacit Software of Palo Alto.

Illumio, which was released last month, is a new approach to the challenge of ``social search,'' finding information that other people know but haven't uploaded to a Web page.

3D tech will search for just the right photo

2006-12-19T09:16:00.000-06:00

From ZDnet:

Start-up Polar Rose plans early next year to launch technology designed to more efficiently search for photos on the Web.

The Swedish company essentially takes a two-dimensional photograph and extrapolates it into a 3D model. A computer then takes the 3D model and searches for photo matches on the Internet and in public photo sites like Flickr.

The 3D model, although virtual, allows a computer to filter out differences related to the lighting, the camera angle, and the angle of the subject's face in two or more photos. Such differences can otherwise throw off search results. By filtering out differences, the search results are more accurate, according to Jan Eric Solem, founder and CTO. Even if one photograph is a direct head shot, Polar Rose's search engine can turn up three-quarter and profile shots.

2007 Technology Predictions From One of the Best

2006-12-17T21:22:00.000-06:00

Analyst and futurist Mark Anderson, author of the influential Strategic News Service newsletter and blog has made a career out of making correct predictions. He claims a 93.5 percent success ratio over the years he's been doing annual predictions.

2007 Predictions:

-ePhones Go Mainstream: "Next year will see the first market acceptance of ePhones in the US," Anderson said. "And the ePhone is a phone where you use it to pay people. It's mobile commerce, mobile transactions, what Bill Gates calls the Wallet PC. But it's not a PC, it's a phone.

"Go to a Safeway, swipe, pay. Go to a gas station, swipe, pay… The phone guys are ready this year, now you will see it coming out in this country. One thing – who's the banker? Visa? Mastercard? If I'm AT&T I'll take that 4 percent, thank you very much. There's a lot of money involved, a lot of float involved. The old guys will be very upset. Visa and Mastercard are in their [Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc] sights.

I say that yes, this will happen. But I don't think next year is when it goes mainstream. And I'm not alone. Even Joseph A O'Neil, who wrote a very bullish newsletter for Mark touting this technology, thinks he's overreaching. "Three to five years", he confided in me, as the event wound down. But yes, you can kiss your wallet good bye soon. Your phone will do it all.

-Authentication Everywhere: "We're going to see ever larger amounts spent on authentication, saying 'you are you'," Anderson said.

"You better have a swipe on that phone, something that says there is a live thumb on the phone, and that the guy that bought that phone is the same guy standing in front of me. It's easy to do; the part costs nine dollars."

Yes, I buy this one. Identity theft is growing in leaps and bounds, and it's now cheap enough to really authenticate everyone. The privacy issues, though, for both of Anderson's points, however, could derail these in the short term.

-Electric Cars: Led by Tesla Motors, this will be the first year of the electric car. Elon Musk and the boys from Google are backing it, there is serious money involved. If this actually happens and they ship (the Tesla Roadster) on time, zero to 60 in four seconds, 139 miles to a gallon, I am sold.

Anderson's take: "The hell with hybrid, why not just plug it in? Go 250 miles and plug it in [again]. Seventy-three percent of oil imported into this country is used for gas. This is all electric… They will start building cars (like this) in this country and outside."

Tesla is really exciting, I think. Sure the cars cost around $100,000. But if they can make electric cool – and actually ship them in some sort of volume in 2007, this could be a turning point. According to Mark, lithium-ion battery technology is good enough here. And if we really can power most of our cars with our existing electrical infrastructure, then we have a reasonably quick way out of our dependence on foreign oil. Too bad our government isn't leading the way here.

-Energy: Oil prices move up, not down, returning to $70 to $80 a barrel, continuing an unmatched wealth transfer. Solar goes mainstream with multiple subsidy programs, according to Anderson.

I hope he's right about solar. I'm also intrigued by the recent breakthrough, which could lead to 40 percent efficient panels.

• b>Advertising: Online ad spending will increase between 20 to 30 percent, probably on the high side of that, according to Anderson.

I think he's low here. I'll bet online advertising goes up closer to 40 percent.

-Dollar Woes Continue: The dollar falls further to the euro and the yen. The dollar will be in the 105 to 110 Yen range," predicts Anderson.

"This is a real war, but we don't pay attention to it," he said. "The Saudis control a lot of money. They moved about three billion that was being used to buy American dollars into yen and about two billion into euros. That is a small number, but they are just getting going. I think they'll move 10 to 20 billion into foreign currency next year, a major move out of dollars into euro, into yen. Japan is an export country, so they will spend between 500 billion and 1 trillion in 2007 to intervene in the market to maintain dollar/yen ratios where they want it. That will be tough. It will be the largest intervention ever done."

-New Russia: "This will be the year when the new Russia emerges, dragging a new Cold War right behind it," Anderson said. "Here's how you negotiate in Thugland. I give you five billion dollars, you give me two-thirds of an oil project, and then I say to you "give me a third back". That happened to Shell today. I'm concerned about every level of Russia, and Putin, excuse me, Stalin.

"People are being killed in cold blood – there's no shame in murdering folks," Anderson added. "The thing is just completely out of control. Cutting off the gas supplies of Europe. We are dealing with a guy that we'd like to think is a refined, hopeful, smart internationalist, who is really just a thug, in the best Stalin definition of a thug. He's willing to burn refineries, which he just did, whatever it takes to get the best price. The world is not ready."

-Multicore: "This is the year when XY computing takes off," Anderson predicts. "Put it sideways and run it in parallel. We are going now. Intel is doing quads, AMD has been leading the way. It's been ten years waiting for this. Remember Sequent and Thinking Machines?"

He's right. The day of the single processor is over and the multi-processor age is upon us. But how will programming adapt? The old, linear approach just isn't working. Anderson hinted about a new image-based programming model that he promised he'd delve into another time.

-Flash Chips: "This will be the year of flash wars," Anderson said. "There are seventeen different fabs coming online and they are mostly NAND flash chips. Get ready for flash computers. Anything that is a computer will be a flash computer. Samsung is bragging that you can have a computer without a disk drive now. It'll be more rugged, faster, and I'm looking forward to it. We'll always use disks for certain things, but we're about to see a huge tectonic change between how we use disks and how we use flash."

Wow. Although I still have some of the first flash computers – remember the HP Jornada 780? – if this works out, it'll change mobile computing. But I wonder if we'll really see the cost per gigabyte of flash approaching a hard drive. I don't think so. And with computer users storing more and more huge video and photo files, we'll still need lots of rotating storage. But Vista makes good use of flash with ReadyBoost and ReadyDrives, so I know we're going to put all that flash to good use.

-Apple Decline: "iPod maintains its dominant position compared to Zune, but by the end of next year, iTunes looks kind of sick," Anderson said. "The licensing terms of iTunes are shortsighted. Microsoft and Sandisk are more open arms, compared to iTunes. They realize that you want to play your thing on whatever it is you have."

Yeah, iTunes seems to be running out of gas. Sales per iPod have fallen off, at least according to Forrester, and we could see big problems as users upgrade their systems and players. A disaster waiting to happen.

Anderson closed up with four bonus predictions:

• The European Union will reject Turkey.

• ChinaPan (China and Japan together) will be recognized as a new integrated manufacturing center.

• Everyone in Europe is going to the right, because of immigration, but Ségolène Royal will be the next premier of France anyway.

• Boeing will do 25% more orders than Airbus

His last words: "Resist generalizations, and we'll all be smarter, richer and thinner. 2007 will confuse one-line pundits, and only you know what is really happening."

DRM-Free Music Sells, Major Labels Keep Pretending The Jury Is Still Out

2006-12-15T09:56:00.000-06:00

From Techdirt:

The idea that DRM-free music might just make good business sense smolders along, as eMusic is announcing they've managed to sell 100 million unprotected songs without the world coming to an end. As part of the promotion, the customer who purchased the milestone track will have a song written about him by the Barenaked Ladies, who'll include the song on as a bonus track for their upcoming album. The record labels have consistently claimed you can't be successful selling music that isn't copy-protected -- but eMusic's second place showing (behind iTunes) shows that's clearly not the case. They continue to sell more music than Rhapsody, Napster and MSN Music combined, all while catering to indie music fans by avoiding major label content. 2006 saw a growth in smaller content providers arguing that DRM-free content can be part of a sustainable business model, but there's still a shortage of major industry players acknowledging DRM's limitations. Meanwhile the major labels continue to pretend either that the idea has no legs -- or that they need to conduct further experiments to see if demand for DRM-free content actually exists. There simply can be no talk of a trend toward unprotected content en-masse as long as the music industry continues to pursue the idea in half-assed ways.

Here's an idea. Why don't new bands sign with distributors like iTunes and the Microsoft market place instead of with traditional labels. Then charge $.25 for a DRM free song and give 90% of that to the artist and 10% to the distributor. I think $.25 is cheap enough that people will just buy it and not pirate the music. Everyone wins in this case. The artist gets much more than the 10% of $.99 songs, and its cheaper for the consumer.

iTunes sales down 58%, iTunes sales up 84%, WTF?!

2006-12-15T09:37:00.000-06:00

From Slashdot:

Earlier this month we had a report from Forrester, based on a random sampling of 2,000 credit card accounts, that purported to show that iTunes sales were crashing. Now comes another survey from Reston, VA-based ComScore which indicates the exact opposite. ComScore's report which is based on actual iTunes sales shows a 84% increase during the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile the author of the Forrester report, Josh Bernoff, noted in his blog yesterday that they shouldn't be pummeled just because everyone took what he wrote and ran with it.

From ArsTechnica:

A couple of days ago, Infinite Loop reported on a research note from Forrester Research which said that Apple's music sales were slowing and that sales of the company's venerable iPod were failing to drive downloads from the iTunes Store. Two days after Forrester's report, investment firm Piper Jaffray has released its own report saying that no, the iTunes Store is doing just fine in terms of growth.

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray says that through September, iTunes Store weekly sales are up 78 percent from 2005. Munster's report is based on Apple company data, according to Reuters, and shows that Apple sold 695 million tracks through September, a total of 18.5 million per week.

In contrast, Forrester's figures come from a analysis of credit and debit card purchases from the iTunes Store, made over a 26-month period ending in June 2006. From April 2004 through January 2006, Apple saw a seven-fold increase in transactions, according to Forrester, with the average transaction size growing to $6.69 from $3.55. Since the beginning of the year, the number of transactions has fallen by 58 percent, with the average transaction size dropping to $5.56. Only 3 percent of US Internet-using households made purchases at the iTunes Store during that period.

Food for thought:

From the testimony of Mr. Marc E. Kasowitz before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary:

One particularly effective illegal strategy involves the
following scenario: the short-selling hedge fund selects a
target company; the hedge fund then colludes with a so-called
independent stock analyst firm to prepare a false and negative
"research report" on the target; the analyst firm agrees not to
release the report to the public until the hedge fund
accumulates a significant short position in the target's stock;
once the hedge fund has accumulated that large short position,
the report is disseminated widely, causing the intended decline
in the price of the target company's stock. The report that is
disseminated contains no disclosure that the analyst was paid to
prepare the report, or that the hedge fund dictated its
contents, or that the hedge fund had a substantial short
position in the target's stock. Once the false and negative
research report -- misrepresented as "independent" -- has had
its intended effect, the hedge fund then closes its position and
makes an enormous profit, at the expense of the proper
functioning of the markets, harming innocent investors who were
unaware that the game was rigged, and damaging the target
company itself and its employees.

http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1972& wit_id=5486 [senate.gov]

Student exercise: Compare and contrast with the movement of AAPL stock shares before and after this report came out.

Video: Lockheed Martin swimming Cormorant submarine-launched UAV from Skunk Works

2006-12-14T19:56:00.000-06:00

From Flight Global:

Lockheed Martin has released the first video sequence of the Cormorant submarine/sea launched multi-purpose unmanned air vehicle, showing the spyplane swimming in the ocean.

The amazing computer animation sequence shows the Cormorant firing from the Trident missile tubes of US Navy submarine before taking to the air. The lightly-armed stealth UAV will patrol the oceans in support of special missions forces.

The Cormorant is one of a package of UAVs unveiled by the Advanced Development Programs division of the Lockheed Martin known as Skunk Works at the Farnborough air show, breaking a previous silence on special missions UAVs.

Video: Gutted Teddy Bear Reincarnated Inside Robosapien Body

2006-12-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

Fuel-Cell Powered R/C Car On Tap For 2007

2006-12-13T09:32:00.000-06:00

A Horizon fuel-cell-powered R/C car
From Extremetech:

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies is developing a drop-in, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell unit to replace a standard battery pack in a popular line of 1/10th-scale remote-control cars.

The Chinese fuel-cell supplier is developing a drop-in replacement for the popular Tamiya TT-01 remote-control car chassis as well as other "bathtub" 1/10th car chasses, the company disclosed on its Web site.

Hobbyists interested in replacing a conventional 7.2-volt battery with the "H-cell" 30-watt fuel-cell option can sign up on the company's waiting list, which allows a customer to be notified when the unit is ready to ship.
Horizon promises that the R/C cars will be able to reach speeds of 35 kilometers per hour, and run for between 30 to 45 minutes on a single tank of fuel.

According to a company spokesman, however, the unit won't come cheap; although final pricing has yet to be determined, the H-Cell will be priced at around $1,500 for the fuel-cell unit alone. It will ship sometime in early 2007, the spokesman said.

Horizon, which manufactures Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells for portable power supplies and peripherals, previously manufactured the $115 H-racer, a standalone car, that lacked steering and could only travel in a straight line for several hundred feet. The H-racer nevertheless was named as one of Time Magazine's top inventions of 2006, in part because refueling it was as simple as adding water to the refueling station, which in turn converted it into hydrogen gas that could be pumped into the H-racer's reservoir.

Fuel cells have been seen as a replacement for the internal combustion engine, as they provide a clean alternative to petroleum fuels. A PEM cell uses hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to create electricity, which powers the car. Water is the only byproduct.

While other types of fuel cells can use liquid hydrogen, methanol, or some other type of anode to create the same reaction, PEM cells have received presidential support as well as the formation of the H-Prize, a contest to sponsor work in hydrogen-based fuel cells. BMW, meanwhile, has said it will offer a fuel-cell powered car in 2007.

In the H-cell's case, Horizon will only provide the fuel-cell apparatus, which will include two integrated air cooling fans with LEDs for racing at night, a hydrogen storage system, and an electronic control unit, the spokesman said.

Hobbyists will need to provide their own car chassis. Although the popular TT-01 chassis was used as a testbed, any 1/10th "bathtub" chassis can be used, the spokesman said.

"In the first stage, refilling of hydrogen storage media will be provided via Horizon's specialist partners as a service to customers," the spokesman said in an email. "Later in 2007, Horizon will supply miniature canister filling units based on similar approach to its hydrogen station found in today's H-racer, a device that would need distilled water and an external power source that could include grid power or even renewable solar power for the purists."

The unit will be able to hold 20 to 40 liters of solid-state hydrogen, according to Horizon's Web site.

Behind the scenes of "Family Guy"

2006-12-12T22:13:00.000-06:00

Video: Pauly Shore Gets Knocked Out on Stage

2006-12-12T08:57:00.000-06:00

This is so fake. I'm sure Pauly saw what happened with Richards and how popular that video became. Now he's trying to get his career going.

Lockheed still working toward F-35 first flight

2006-12-12T08:43:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp. said it was still working toward a first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, possibly this week, but the maiden flight would not come on Monday.

Lockheed spokesman John Smith said the plane successfully completed a low speed taxi test last Thursday and received flight certification on Friday.

At a projected $276.5 billion, the planned family of radar-evading warplanes represents the Pentagon's priciest planned purchase, with more than 2,400 aircraft by 2027 for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

Before its first flight, the F-35 still needs to pass medium and high speed taxi tests. Rainy weather, wind and other factors delayed those tests at Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas test site this past week, company and program officials said.

The supersonic, multirole aircraft's development has been co-financed by eight international partners -- Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway.

Smith said it was unclear exactly when those tests would now be conducted, making it difficult to predict the timing of the F-35's first flight. But he stressed that no unexpected problems had emerged.

"Everything's pretty much going along as predicted. When all the conditions line up, that's when they'll fly," he said.

Last week, Marine Brig. Gen. David Heinz, deputy director of the F-35 program, told Reuters the first flight of the next-generation fighter jet could come as early as Monday after a series of tests on the ground.

"We expect it to be this week," program spokeswoman Kathy Crawford said. "Technically there are no issues at this point."

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials have told the Navy and Air Force to fully fund the F-35 program in fiscal year 2008, according to defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute and a senior defense official.

If the White House agrees, the Pentagon will order six Air Force versions of the plane and six short-takeoff and vertical landing variants in fiscal 2008, said the official, who asked not to be named.

The Navy and Marine Corps had proposed cutting more than $1 billion of F-35 orders between 2008 and 2013, which would have delayed the airplane's initial operating capability.

"Now the program is back on track," said Thompson, who has close ties to Pentagon and Air force officials..

The single-engine F-35 is to replace aging F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and a range of other fighter and strike aircraft for the United States and its allies over the next 30 years.

Homeland Security eyes high-power lasers for protecting commercial flights

2006-12-08T15:52:00.000-06:00

How It Works

1. Find Target
An infrared camera on the laser continuously scans a 6- to 10-mile radius around the airport for suspicious heat emissions. When it finds a plume, it relays the coordinates to an identification-and-tracking system, which is also on the unit.

2. Confirm Threat
The onboard computer checks the object’s heat signature against a data bank, confirms that it’s a missile (and not a bird or a plane), and activates the laser.

3. Prepare to Fire
Reactive gases in the laser’s fuel tanks are funneled through a vacuum tube to heat up atoms and send them cascading through resonator mirrors. This produces a tightly focused, high-energy beam.

4. Destroy Missile
The laser-beam cannon emits a burst of intense light aimed at the missile’s most vulnerable spot, usually the explosives compartment. Simultaneously, it relays a wireless signal to a computer located in the airport control tower to give authorities a fix on the origin of the rocket.

Enough about the Iphone already!

2006-12-07T15:11:00.000-06:00

Macworld is almost here and Apple fan boys are going nuts with this Iphone. Its been talked about for years. Macworld is coming up in a few weeks and it could be a reality. Kevin Rose Spilled the beans on Diggnation:

What everyone has been talking about is an Ipod/cell phone device. I think these people are wrong. I think Apple is finally going to let you download your music independent of a computer. You will be able to download songs directly from Itunes to your Ipod. Of course Apple will need to integrate cell phone technology into the player, but its main purpose will be to play music. Cingular is the first carrier to come to mind that they will be dealing with. They have worked with them in the past.

My reasoning for why Apple would come out with this types of device instead of an Iphone comes from a few places. First, taking the computer out of the equation has always been a goal for the Ipod. If you want new music, you want to get it now. You don't want to go to a computer, hook it up, go online...when you can just download music whenever and where ever. Second, Michael Kanellos points out some good reasons is his article:

Apple opted to adopt the 1.8-inch hard drive, a piece of hardware spurned by other manufacturers. That was the world's mistake. The 1.8-inch drive let Apple put a huge amount of storage--the real problem with MP3 players--into a small form factor. The first iPod sported 5GB of storage, or nearly 40 times as much as the upper crust of flash players. The company even locked up supply of 1.8-inch drives for a while, so no one could copy it.

The iPod also conquered the problem of small screens and cheesy navigation. With its newfound popularity, the company was also able to get music publishers to agree to its terms.

Unfortunately for Apple, problems like that don't exist in the handset business. Cell phones aren't clunky, inadequate devices. Instead, they are pretty good. Really good. Why do you think they call it a Crackberry? Because the lumpy design and confusing interface of the device is causing people to break into cars? No, it's because people are addicted to it.

Samsung has scoured the world's design schools and hired artists on three continents to keep its phones looking good. Motorola has revived its fortunes with design. KDDI, a Japanese carrier, has a design showcase in the teen shopping area of Tokyo just to be close to trends. And Sharp doesn't skimp when it comes to putting LCD TVs on its phones.

Apple, in other words, won't be competing against rather doltish, unstylish companies like the old Compaq. The handset companies move pretty quick and put out new models every few weeks.

So I think this news at Macworld wont be an Iphone, just an Ipod that can let you DL songs directly to the Ipod.

Stealing Fair Use, Selling It Back to You

2006-12-06T09:22:00.000-06:00

"Apparently, Hollywood believes that you should have to re-purchase all your DVD movies a second time if you want to watch them on your iPod." That's what I said last week, commenting on the Paramount v. Load-N-Go lawsuit, in which Hollywood studios claimed that it is illegal to rip a DVD to put on a personal video player (PVP), even if you own the DVD.

Well, this week the other shoe dropped. According to an article in the New York Times:

Customers who buy the physical DVD of Warner Brothers’ “Superman Returns” in a Wal-Mart store will have the option of downloading a digital copy of the film to their portable devices for $1.97, personal computer for $2.97, or both for $3.97.
So you buy the DVD, and if you want a copy on your PVP or computer, you have to pay a second time. Despite the fact that you bought the DVD, and you have a DVD drive in your computer that is perfectly capable of making a personal-use copy. Imagine if the record labels offered you this "deal" for every CD you bought -- pay us a few dollars extra, and you can have a copy for your iPod. And a few more dollars, if you want a copy on your computer, too! As LA Times reporter Jon Healey puts it in his blog: "So from the perspective of the studios and federal officials, consumers have to pay for the privilege of doing the sorts of things with DVDs that they're accustomed to doing with CDs (and LPs and cassettes)."

This latest bitter fruit from Hollywood is brought to you by the DMCA, which treats "protected" content (like the encrypted video on DVDs), differently from "unprotected" content (like every audio and video media format introduced before 1996). Thanks to the DMCA, Hollywood believes fair use personal-use copies simply do not exist when it comes to DVDs.

Given that the Copyright Office has refused [PDF, see p. 71-72] to recognize any DMCA exemption for space-shifting, claiming that putting a DVD you own on your iPod "is either infringing, or, even if it were noninfringing, would be merely a convenience," (excuse me, Copyright Office, that's a decision for a court to make) the ball is now in Congress' court. Let's hope Congressman Rick Boucher is listening and will reintroduce his DMCA reform bill first thing next year.

We need to take Labels and Studios out of the equation. Take a look at the viral videos and music on the internet. They never went to a major record lable or signed a deal with a major movie studio or TV Network. By word of mouth these vidoes were able to get distributed. Thats the job of the Studios and Labels. If music and movies can become so popular virally, studios and labels can get removed out of the equation and the cost of this media can go way down. Also the producers of this content will get a much higher percentage of money earned on their media instead of 70-90% going to studios/networks/labels.

1,054 hp for a new World Record for Street-Legal Cars

2006-12-04T09:48:00.000-06:00

MISSION 400 PLUS Based on Porsche 997

1,054 hp for a new World Record for Street-Legal Cars

MISSION 400 PLUS - under this project name H &R presents an especially spectacular world premiere at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006. Jürgen Alzen Motorsport, long-time partner of H&R in the long-distance championship on the Nürburgring, engine tuner RS Tuning and H&R have jointly developed a sports car based on the Porsche 997. It is destined to win the Blue Ribbon for the world's fastest street-legal sports car next year, with a top speed of more than 400 km/h.

The idea to tackle the world record was born in August 2006 at the Six-Hour Race on the Nürburgring: After the H&R-sponsored Alzen Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 fell victim to an accident in only the second lap, team boss Jürgen Alzen and H&R marketing director Hardy von der Brake had time to discuss means to better demonstrate the technology transfer from motorsports to the development of sporty suspension components.

The idea quickly turned into the MISSION 400 PLUS concept, whose prototype now celebrated its world debut at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006. The three companies that have joined forces to turn this concept into reality have proven their potential in building super-fast sports cars numerous times before.

The experienced team of technicians from Jürgen Alzen Motorsport in Betzdorf is responsible for the technical design and for building the car. The engine is based on that of the latest 997-series Porsche 911 Turbo, and comes from RS Tuning. H&R contributes its immense know-how in the field of suspension design and setup.

Favorable aerodynamic properties are essential for a car that is designed to break the 400-km/h barrier. Minimizing frontal surface area is absolutely elementary, which is why Jürgen Alzen decided to lower the roof by 75 millimeters. At the same time the A-pillars were tilted back further by 5.5 degrees. To give the coupe a homogenous overall appearance the tilt of B- and C-pillars was adjusted accordingly. Special flush-mounted polycarbonate windows all around complete the roof conversion.

Also part of the MISSION 400 PLUS aerodynamics concept are numerous other modifications that were developed and tested in the wind tunnel. Among them are a long rear with pronounced separation edge and the absence of rain channels. Streamlined cowlings for the 18-inch BBS light-alloy wheels will reduce air turbulence on the vehicle's sides during the record run.

The MISSION 400 PLUS engine is built by RS Tuning in Kirchhaslach, where the racing engines for Jürgen Alzen Motorsport have been created for many years. The displacement of the six-cylinder flat engine is increased from 3.6 to 3.8 liters and the engine is reworked entirely. Company owner Reinhold Schmirler's power cocktail also includes special combustion chamber shapes as well as precision-machined cylinder heads with larger valves, and high-performance camshafts.

The engine's peripherals are also completely new. In addition to an intake manifold with larger and smoothened ports the engine is equipped with a more powerful turbocharging system and a high-performance exhaust.

The stock turbos with variable turbine geometry are replaced by larger conventional ones, which are supplied with optimal amounts of exhaust gas by the custom-tailored stainless-steel exhaust manifolds. Higher capacity intercoolers provide cooler charge air for maximum power output, aided on the exhaust side by a stainless-steel sport exhaust with metal catalysts.

RS Tuning's stationary test bench is used to fine-tune the perfect interaction of all individual components with special 100-octane fuel mapping for the Bosch-developed engine electronics.

With a boost pressure of 1.5 bar the engine develops 1,054 hp / 775.7 kW at 7,700 rpm and a peak torque of 1,030 Nm at 5,800 rpm. And yet, the speed-record hunter meets stringent EURO IV emission limits.

Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a high-performance clutch and a modified high-geared six-speed transmission.

The high-speed track in Nardo, where the world record is supposed to be set next year, places extreme demands on the MISSION 400 PLUS suspension, due to its undulated surface. H &R has custom-developed a special version of its H&R HIGH-END suspension specifically for this purpose.

The top-of-the-line product in the H &R lineup distinctly sets itself apart from conventional sport suspensions. In addition to special struts with sporty springs and shocks the H&R HIGH-END suspension further consists of bearings made from especially high-quality harder materials, custom-made aluminum lower A-arms as well as special tie rods and newly designed upper rear axle links.

Installing this almost infinitely adjustable suspension results in even more strength and more direct response. It also allows an even more precise setup of the record car to account for the banked track at Nardo. The MISSION 400 PLUS is further equipped with adjustable H&R sport sway bars on front and rear axle.

The overall lightweight design is completed with Carbon-made doors and hoods and a Spartan interior with Recaro carbon-fiber racing seats and a roll cage.

MISSION 400 PLUS will hunt for the record in Nardo in the first half of 2007. Creator and race driver Jürgen Alzen will pilot the ultra-low-profile coupe.

Hate going to movie theaters?

2006-12-01T09:59:00.000-06:00

From Techdirt:

While we were impressed that the head of Regal Entertainment Group, the largest movie theater chain in the US, is experimenting with improving the moviegoing experience by giving certain customers a pager that will let them alert theater staff to any problems (such as mobile phone disruptions) in the theater immediately, it appears that CEO Michael Campbell still is unwilling to admit that movie theaters offer much value for visitors. That's because he continues to come out strongly against any studio plan to release DVDs concurrently with a theatrical release. The so-called "day and date" release plan has been finding increasing support within the movie industry, even if its most high profile test (done by Mark Cuban) was considered something of a failure.

The issue here is simple: it's about giving consumers a choice -- which is generally good for business. If you provide consumers with more options that cover what they want, they're more likely to buy. Giving consumers the chance to get a DVD right away, just as the full advertising effort is underway is likely to help the overall business of the movie as well. Some people who just don't like to go to theaters will buy the DVD, while others will prefer to see the film on the big screen. Unfortunately, few theater owners seem to agree. They complain about the DVD threat, when all it really shows is they don't understand their own business. They're not in the business of showing people movies. They're in the business of providing a good overall social experience. If they were confident in the theater experience, then they have nothing to fear from DVDs being on sale. They could just play up why it's that much better to see the movie on the big screen. But, apparently, they just don't believe they offer a very good product, which is why they're trying to pressure the studios to give them an artificial, temporary monopoly. Campbell's comments are effectively an admission that he doesn't think Regal Theaters are very good, and he doesn't think he can improve the experience enough to compete with home theaters. That seems excessively short-sighted.

If day and date releases became more common, it would only improve the movie going experience. While Campbell claims they would boycott those movies, it would only take a few missed blockbusters for the company to change its mind. In the meantime, it would put in place more incentives for Campbell and other theater owners to make going to the theater a much more enjoyable experience because they wouldn't just be competing with other theaters, but the home theater as well. They'd have to play to their strengths and focus on how to make "going out to the theater" a totally different experience from staying in to watch a movie. On top of that, there are plenty of additional things the theaters can do, from giving you a discount on buying the DVD as you walk out of the theater to using movie tickets as a way to encourage word of mouth marketing to get others to the theater. The potential is enormous, but we won't see much of it if theater owners can remain lazy and uncreative by keeping studios from giving customers the choice they deserve.

Porche Carrera GT eats pole

2006-11-27T20:16:00.000-06:00

Hot on the heels of the Suleiman Kerimov/female passenger/Ferrari Enzo/Promenade des Anglais crash comes this Carrera GT single-car pileup in what we glean to be New York. Apparently the driver escaped with minimal fractures, but the car seems to be very, very broken. [Thanks to Alex for the tip.] – Davey G. Johnson

500hp twin turbo Volvo 740 Wagon

2006-11-27T13:24:00.000-06:00

America's fastest cars

2006-11-27T12:46:00.000-06:00

#10 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (tie)
Base price: $40,800
Engine: 6.1-liter, 420-hp V-8
Top speed: 155 miles per hour#10 Ford Shelby GT500 (tie)
Base price: $41,000 (estimated)
Engine: Supercharged, 5.4-liter, 500-hp V-8
Top speed: 155 miles per hour#10 Cadillac XLR-V (tie)
Base price: $98,300
Engine: Supercharged, 4.4-liter, 443-hp V-8
Top speed: 155 miles per hour#10 Cadillac STS-V (tie)
Base price: $77,715
Engine: Supercharged, 4.4-liter, 469-hp V-8
Top speed: 155 miles per hour#9 Cadillac CTS-V
Base price: $53,370
Engine: 6.0-liter, 400-hp V-8
Top speed: 163 miles per hour#8 Chrysler 300C SRT8, Dodge Charger SRT8 and Dodge Magnum SRT8
Base price: $43,195 (300C); $38,695 (Charger); $38,345 (Magnum)
Engine: 6.1-liter, 425-hp V-8
Top speed: 165 to 170 miles per hour
* Pictured here: Dodge Charger SRT8#7 Panoz Esperante GTLM (tie)
Base price: $121,325
Engine: Supercharged, 4.6-liter, 420-hp V-8
Top speed: 180 miles per hour#7 Mullen GT (tie)
Base price: $89,950
Engine: 400-hp V-8
Top speed: 180 miles per hour#6 Mosler MT 900S
Base price: $189,000
Engine: 5.7-liter, 435-hp V-8
Top speed: 180-plus miles per hour#5 Dodge Viper SRT-10
Base price: $85,745
Engine: 8.3-liter, 510-hp V-10
Top speed: 190 miles per hour (estimated)#4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Base price: $70,000
Engine: 7.0-liter, 505-hp V-8
Top speed: 198 miles per hour#3 Silva Exotic Cars GT1 and GT3
Base price: $170,000 to $175,000 (estimated)
Engine: 7.0-liter, 550-hp V-8 (optional)
Top speed: 206 miles per hour#2 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
Base price: $555,000
Engine: Twin turbo, 7.0-liter, 750-horsepower V-8
Top speed: 240 to 260 miles per hour (estimated)#1 SSC Ultimate Aero TT
Base price: $525,000
Engine: Twin turbo, 6.3-liter, 1,180-horsepower V-8
Top speed: 273 mph

Video: First sub-ten second Shelby GT500

2006-11-26T16:01:00.000-06:00

Video: Crazy Race Car Pile-up in rain

2006-11-26T15:43:00.000-06:00

How To Bypass The Zune's WiFi Sharing DRM

2006-11-24T19:17:00.000-06:00

We knew it would be done sooner or later, and with the mod to use your Zune as a portable hard drive, DRM cracking finally here.

First, you need to enable hard drive mode using the instructions we posted before. Then, rename whatever files—MP3s, movies, programs—to have the extension ".jpg" in order to fool the Zune into thinking its an image. This hack works because Zune doesn't apply DRM to images!

Then what?

Now, take your Zune and send the folder containing these files to your buddy along with a real photo. If you only send a fake photo, an error is thrown. The last step is to have your friend sync the Zune with their computer, open the "containing folder" where the files were downloaded, and rename the files back to their correct extension.

We tried doing this before with just the Zune software, without the storage hack, and Zune threw an error because it resizes the images down in order to conserve space, and our file wasn't a real image. – Jason Chen

Rugged Wheelchair Lets Disabled Go Off-road

2006-11-24T19:12:00.000-06:00

It may look like some oversized BattleBot, but the Tank Chair is a rugged, off-road wheelchair that lets anybody with leg injuries "get back to nature." Each chair is custom built and can take on any type of terrain. There's no word on pricing, but any wheelchair that looks this cool has got to be worth the splurge.

Ghost in a real car accident

2006-11-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

Video: Anti-Everything Gun

2006-11-22T15:03:00.000-06:00

It's called the Phalanx CIWS (Close-in Weapons System)Look for the product data sheet link on that page for geek info. All info is Public Released.

There's also a variant called the SeaRAM, it's a standard RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launcher hooked up to that big tracking dome thing in the video (white "head" looking thing) used to take down incoming aircraft, boats, etc. It also works against missiles.

Video: New Nissan Skyline GT-R

2006-11-22T13:42:00.000-06:00

VIDEO: R33 GT-R, 0-200 MPH in 24 seconds

2006-11-22T13:41:00.001-06:00

Video: Mini Cooper Works GP vs Andy Moore HPI brushless touring R/C car

2006-11-22T09:15:00.000-06:00

Video: Toyota Prius Target Practice

2006-11-22T08:37:00.000-06:00

Video: Mini UAVs tracking R/C cars

2006-11-21T13:30:00.000-06:00

The purpose of this quad rotor, multi-vehicle flight test was to demonstrate the platform's capability to implement multi-vehicle missions ... all » using the task advisor to run the entire mission. In this video we demonstrate the tasking system's capability to command two autonomous UAVs (Note: the quadrotors are Draganflyer V Ti Pros controlled by a ground computer) to search different areas of the room and track multiple objects - both stationary and moving. In this test, we have three R/C vehicles on the floor, and the two air vehicles search for them. Note that the system does not know where the ground vehicles are going to be a-priori. The videos are from a test flight which took place on August 8th. This is the shortened version of the original video clip. This is the full clip
From ZDnet:

As recent events have shown, military forces around the world are more and more relying on small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance missions. But these UAVs usually need many skilled operators to control them. Now, the Boston Globe reports that a new MIT 'air force' is ready for help. MIT researchers have developed a multiple-UAV test platform which can be operated by anyone with a high-speed Internet connection. And these small and inexpensive helicopters could soon stay in the air for a week, automatically coming back to their base and landing to recharge their batteries. But read more…

This multiple-UAV test platform has been developed by Jonathan How, an associate professor at MIT in charge of the Aerospace Controls Laboratory, and his graduate systems. Here is what he says to the Boston Globe about his lab and the drones developed there.

Brain Interface Allows Users to Control Model Trains

2006-11-21T12:24:00.000-06:00

From DailyTech:

Hitachi has reportedly created and successfully tested an interface that allows users to turn a power switch on and off by using their brain only (English). Optical topography, a neuroimaging technique which measures the changes in blood hemoglobin concentration in parts of the brain responsible for mental activity, is utilized with Hitachi's brain-controlled interface. Any significant changes monitored in the brain blood flow is then translated into voltage signals that are used for activating the model train's power switch.

OCZ's 1150 MHz memory integrates liquid cooling

2006-11-21T09:41:00.000-06:00

From Tomshardware:

Sunnyvale (CA) - If you enjoy squeezing every bit of performance out of your computer, then you are used to dealing with large and potent cooling systems already. One of the more recent cooling trends has hit memory devices - for example Corsair's pricey 1066 MHz XMS2 Dominator devices, which are currently selling for around $400 in 2 GB kits. OCZ tops Corsair with a series of DDR2 memory modules called " PC2-9200 FlexXLC".

The modules are clocked at 1150 MHz and carry a water cooling system that is about the size of the modules themselves. Built out of a copper/aluminum structure, the dissipates heat via routing water through a pipe that runs alongside the heatsink as well as a fin array that OCZ claims can dissipate heat more efficiently than previous designs. OCZ said that users have the option to run the modules passively or water cooled via the integrated "liquid injection system."

Unmanned A160 Hummingbird Helicopter resumes flight testing

2006-11-21T08:11:00.000-06:00

The A160 Hummingbird Unmanned Aerial System¸ 6-cylinder gasoline engine variant returned to flight this month as work continues in parallel towards the first flight of the turbine powered A160T next Spring. [Boeing photo]

The A160 Hummingbird Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) resumed flight testing at an airfield near Victorville, Calif. on Nov. 8. The successful 45-minute test included both hovering and forward flight. “The success of this flight is indicative of the hard work put in by the Boeing/ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency A160 team” said Jim Martin, A160 program manager. “This innovative unmanned aerial system continues to prove its versatility through a rigorous flight test program."

Engineers are currently analyzing the flight data to determine objectives for the next series of test flights. This current series of test flights are being conducted using the 6-cylinder gasoline engine variant as work continues in parallel towards the first flight of the turbine powered A160T next Spring.

The A160 Hummingbird has accumulated more than 1000 ground test hours, and 58.5 flight hours during 32 flights. The autonomous UAS is 35 feet long with a 36-foot rotor diameter, and will fly up to140 knots with a ceiling in the range of 25-30,000 ft. (high hover capability up to 15,000 ft) for up to 20 hrs. Operational A160s will be capable of performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; target acquisition; communication relay and precision re-supply missions.

First AMD 4x4 Mobo Spotted

2006-11-20T21:27:00.000-06:00

From Engadget:

Intel may be getting all the attention with its quad core and Core 2 Duo blitzkrieg, but AMD's not one to rest on its laurels. Its forthcoming 4x4 platform will place two dual-core CPUs on one mobo for a total of four cores. Asus' L1N64-SLI WS will be the first mobo to support the 4x4 architecture and this here is an overview of what you can expect. It'll have 4 memory slots (2 memory sticks dedicated for each processor), 12 SATA ports, and 4 PCI Express x16 slots. The two CPUs will be connected via AMD's Direct Connect architecture. Spec-wise, the board is fully loaded. Our only concern will be pricing, as something with this many features can't possibly be cheap and could potentially be more expensive than the Intel alternative.

Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars coming to Xbox 360

2006-11-16T20:20:00.000-06:00

Electronic Arts has announced that Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars will be coming to the Xbox 360. The game continues the Command and Conquer series after a seven year break with the good guys, GDI, fighting the familiar NOD Brotherhood for control of Tiberium.

PS3 Costs 840$ to make

2006-11-16T10:52:00.000-06:00

Best Gaming PC for 2006-VoodooPC Omen

2006-11-16T08:49:00.000-06:00

From ExtremeTech:

The Ultimate Game Machine competition in Games for Windows Magazine (formerly Computer Gaming World) is brutal. Every maker of high-end gaming PCs submits their very best, cost be damned. They push everything to the limit, use the very best parts, and really work their butts off to show what the company can do. There are always several great PCs, each worthy of praise and your hard-earned dollars, but there can only be one winner. This year, that winner goes to VoodooPC's Omen, a black monolith of stylish power that managed to edge out even the most impressive competitors.

Video: Newest Qaud Core AMD Revealed for First Time

2006-11-15T20:50:00.000-06:00

Man uses Digital Audio Player to siphon cash from ATMs

2006-11-15T12:22:00.000-06:00

While sniffing out ATM info has been used by tricksters criminals for years, a Manchester-based bloke was trafficking private bank information from various cards to illegally purchase goods -- with the help of DAPs, no less. Although your evil twin could manage to reprogram an ATM to disperse 300 percent more cash than it really should, this fellow secretly attached an (unsurprisingly anonymous) "MP3 player" to the backs of free-standing cash machines in "local bars, bingo halls, and bowling alleys." The device recorded the tones from transactions, which were then decoded and "turned into information used to clone new credit cards." The fellow learned his savvy computing skills from "a friend in Cambridge," and was oddly not caught jacking cash or throwing down on a new HDTV; rather, police caught on to his scheming when they located a counterfeit bank card in his vehicle during a routine traffic stop, which led them back to his presumably disclosing home. While we applaud the ingenuity, the motives are certainly below traditional moral standards, but this certainly isn't the first (nor the last) criminal offense involving DAPs.

Kevin Mitnick's Security Advice

2006-11-15T09:03:00.000-06:00

From Wired:

Here's my Top 10 list of steps you should take to protect your information and your computing resources from the bad boys and girls of cyberspace.

-Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you -- one worm or Trojan is all it takes.

-Choose passwords that are reasonably hard to guess -- don't just append a few numbers to a no-brainer. Always change default passwords.

-Use an antivirus product like AVG or Norton, and set it to update daily.

-Update your OS religiously and be vigilant in applying all security patches released by the software manufacturer.

-Avoid hacker-bait apps like Internet Explorer and disable automatic scripting on your e-mail client.

-Use encryption software like PGP (pretty good privacy) when sending sensitive e-mail. You can also use it to protect your entire hard drive.

-Install a spyware detection app -- or even several. Programs that can be set to run frequently, like SpyCop, are ideal.

-Use a personal firewall. Configure it to prevent other computers, networks and sites from connecting to you, and specify which programs are allowed to connect to the net automatically.

-Disable any system services you're not using, especially apps that could give others remote access to your computer (like Remote Desktop, RealVNC and NetBIOS).

-Secure your wireless networks. At home, enable WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) with a password of at least 20 characters. Configure your laptop to connect in Infrastructure mode only, and don't add networks unless they use WPA.

Zune MP3 players' opening salvo a dud

2006-11-15T08:57:00.000-06:00

"I didn't even know they were there until a customer pointed them out," said sales clerk Jake Brooks.

"I'm sure we have more in a closet in the back somewhere."

By mid-afternoon the store had sold one Zune player and one other person had inquired about them.

The scene was bleaker at a CompUSA store a block away, where the manager said an oversight by Microsoft sales people had resulted in the store not getting Zunes for display.

No apparent harm was done though, said the manager, because no shoppers came asking about Zunes.

Google Maps lets you “Click-to-call”

2006-11-15T08:36:00.000-06:00

From ZDnet

Google is about to announce their "Click-to-call" functionality on Google Maps for the United States. Ordering pizza is as easy as searching for "pizza" and clicking "Connect for free" — hopefully in version two they will pay for the food too.

Much more coming to Zune??

2006-11-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

From ArsTechnica:

See, Zune was designed to connect to the Zune Marketplace wirelessly, it just doesn't do so at the moment. We were admittedly skeptical of such claims, until Bryan Lee, corporate vice president for the entertainment business at Microsoft, decided to get mysterious with the New York Times. Asked if the Zune will ever connect to the Internet, and if it will ever be possible to buy a song that way, Lee responded: "Probably, one day."

Transformer Halloween constume

2006-11-13T14:38:00.000-06:00

Movie studios selling $1.25 DVDs in China to Combat Piracy

2006-11-13T11:27:00.000-06:00

From ArsTechnica:

The first studio to announce such a strategy was Time Warner, which said in August that it planned to start releasing cheap DVDs in China in an attempt to fight piracy. The movies were to be released on DVD soon after their theatrical release for about 10 yuan (approximately $1.25) apiece. 10 yuan is close to the typical price for a pirated movie in China. Time Warner hoped that the move would lure customers to buy their DVDs instead of illegal alternatives. The short amount of time between theatrical and DVD release in China was also meant to try to beat pirates in getting the DVDs out as quickly as possible.

Zune: welcome to the anti-social

2006-11-13T11:01:00.000-06:00

From ZDnet:
In less than 24 hours, Microsoft will release its latest 'iPod killer' into the wild. The Zune's 'killer' feature being, of course, the ability to share music wirelessly. Where Sony's original Walkman (and subsequently, Apple's iPod) are distinctly anti-social - the bearing of white earbuds being a symbol of solitude - the marketing slogan for the Zune declares, 'welcome to the social'.

However, despite what Redmond would have us believe, the music sharing features of the Zune are anything but social.

David Pogue in his review for the New York Times, hits the nail on the head:

You can play a transmitted song only three times, all within three days. After that, it expires… This copy protection is as strict as a 19th-century schoolmarm. Just playing half the song (or one minute, whichever comes first) counts as one “play.” You can never resend a song to the same friend. A beamed song can’t be passed along to a third person, either.

That's right, 'a beamed song can’t be passed along to a third person', which, in my mind, is as social as telling a friend about a great place to eat out, on the sole condition that they don't tell anybody else. According to Pogue, Microsoft is marketing the viral 'potential' of the Zune, as a way for unsigned bands to promote their music:

What’s really nuts is that the restrictions even stomp on your own musical creations. Microsoft’s literature suggests that if you have a struggling rock band, you could “put your demo recordings on your Zune” and “when you’re out in public, you can send the songs to your friends.” What it doesn’t say: “And then three days later, just when buzz about your band is beginning to build, your songs disappear from everyone’s Zunes, making you look like an idiot.”

Intel eyes nanotubes for future chip designs

2006-11-10T13:56:00.000-06:00

From ZDnet:

Intel is eyeing carbon nanotubes as a possible replacement for copper wires inside semiconductors, a switch that one day could eliminate some big problems for chipmakers.

The chip giant has managed to create prototype interconnects--microscopic metallic wires inside of chips that link transistors--out of carbon nanotubes and measure how well the interconnects perform. In essence, the experiments are a way to test whether the theories about the properties of carbon nanotubes are accurate.

Court Will Examine The Constitutionality Of RIAA Fines

2006-11-10T11:24:00.000-06:00

From Techdirt:

When the RIAA sues people for unauthorized uploading of songs, they usually put a price between $750-per-song to $30,000-per-song in losses. Many have argued that this seems rather excessive -- especially considering how much the songs are actually sold for. A year and a half ago, there was a scholarly paper that examined whether the RIAA's excessive loss claims were unconstitutionally excessive. With that in mind, it wasn't that surprising earlier this year to see one defendant in an RIAA suit question the constitutionality of the $750 number that was trotted out in her case. At the time, we stated that the reasoning used to back this up seemed much weaker than the reasoning in the law review article, but as lawyer Ray Beckerman (who is involved in the case) explained, the filing was limited in length and only needed to serve a specific purpose. It also looks like they were later able to submit either the law review article we mentioned, or other supporting documents. No matter what happened, the judge has now ruled that it is a perfectly legitimate question, and will be included as part of the case. The judge tossed out all of the RIAA's objections, noting that the defendant actually backed up their claim with case law and law review articles. The RIAA, on the other hand, could offer no similar case law to explain why the constitutionality of the fines couldn't be questioned. Of course, who knows how the case will turn out, but should the RIAA lose, it would be pretty damaging for them. They use the threat of the $750/song (or higher) fines as a way to bully people into just settling, rather than fighting -- even if they know they're innocent.

Microsoft’s Entertainment Domination Plan

2006-11-09T08:43:00.000-06:00

From Techcrunch:

Forget the fact that Microsoft is being overshadowed by Google and that Google is looking like the 800lb gorilla beating down Microsoft. Microsoft has other plans they’ve been working on — plans that have been really coming together the past few weeks and that quite frankly, I’m sitting here in amazement.

Earlier this week, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 division announced partnerships with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting, UFC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to “Digitally Deliver TV Shows and Movies to Gamers.” This is Microsoft’s first move into digital movie and TV show sales — and is also another move towards turning their Xbox gaming system into a full-fledged digital entertainment system (note: they want to become the center of your living room). These digital movie and TV show partnerships for their Xbox 360 unit, will likely turn into sales through their future digital media sales service Zune.com and playback on their upcoming handheld Zune device. Xbox 360 up until this announcement has only let users download select music videos and movie trailers. Last week, Microsoft sent a major update to Xbox 360 consoles that now allows users to now stream video from a PC or portable device (note: their handheld Zune device has wireless capabilities built-in) — previously, only users with Windows XP Media Center Edition installed could stream video to the Xbox 360.

Last week, Microsoft launched the website for their handheld digital music/video player Zune, which comes out next week (November 14) — Microsoft is taking on Apple’s iPod with their Zune device. And less than 2 weeks ago, Microsoft launched the latest version of their Windows Media Player (WMP), version 11, which takes over for Windows Media Connect and allows users to manage connections for sharing media (between PC, Xbox 360, Zune) within the new WMP player. One shocker is that Zune is not using Microsoft’s own “PlaysForSure” framework that other digital music etailers and manufacturers embraced (Napster, Musicmatch, Wal-Mart, URGE, MSN, FYE, etc) since Apple has not let etailers sell to iPod owners (due to Apple’s proprietary DRM, which DVD Jon recently cracked) and Apple has not let other manufacturers make devices that can work with iTunes-purchased media. Zune will be proprietary as well (like the iPod) and won’t be allowing etailers to get their media on it — Zune will not support PlaysForSure.
Since September, Apple has been selling movies online via iTunes, which iTunes at the time had 40-60 million copies of their software installed on user machines. Less than a week after launch, Apple announced $1mm in digital movie sales (125k purchases).

What does all of this mean? Microsoft has a serious strategy to dominate digital entertainment. Microsoft already has a very successful gaming console (Xbox 360) that allows users to play games, watch movies, buy movies, buy TV shows, stream video from their computer, stream music from their computer, and I’m sure buying music from URGE is in the gameplan — not to mention the social networking features that allow Xbox 360 users (and maybe Zune users, considering the wi-fi built-in?) to chat with each other in games, send messages to each other, add users to their friends list, etc.

The other device that has entered millions of homes over the years is the DVR. Microsoft has already been using DVR-related technology in their Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system (OS). In fact, if you own this OS, you can login to Microsoft’s online TV listing guide and setup their MSN Remote Record service, which then allows you to browse TV listings from any computer and click a button that will set a TV program to record to your home PC. I’d guess that in the future, there will be an accessory for my Xbox 360 that plugs into one of the Xbox 360 USB ports, hooking my cable TV into my Xbox 360, and allowing me to easily record TV shows to my Xbox 360 (note to self: short TIVO).
r>Apple may have millions of users using iTunes and millions of owners of iPods, but they lack a gaming console (which PriceWaterhouseCoopers predicts the gaming market will be $54.6 billion by 2009), they lack a DVR unit, and they won’t let manufacturers and etailers sell to their users. Currently, Apple’s strategy for getting into your living room is the anticipated iTV, which is rumored to be a set-top box for your TV and will allow you to stream movies, TV shows, and music from your iTunes software. Apple is also planning to sell basic games through iTunes, which iPod owners will be able to play. Could there be a gaming console (Nintendo WII? Sony Playstation 3?) purchase or partnership in the future for Apple? Could there be an Apple purchase of TiVo? (note to self: long TIVO)

This strategy by Microsoft is impressive and we’ll begin seeing how it all plays out over the next couple months of the holiday season — as buyers put up their money for an Apple iPod or a Microsoft Zune and/or Xbox 360.

I think Steve got all of his info correct but I think his predictions are completely wrong. Instead of turning the 360 into a Tivo where you record TV, all you will do is pay to download shows from the 360 marketplace. I bet Apple will do the same thing. You will be able to pay for certain episodes from the Itunes store and download them instead of recording them. This means that Microsoft and Apple get revenue from TV shows. This brings up the question of why should there be cable TV besides realtime news and sports? Is this the beginning of the end for cable TV operators besides internet access?