The majority of Apple rumors ignored by the veterans at sites like Macrumors and Apple Insider are non-sourced, usually building up from the updrafts of the blog/analyst/network news circle jerk vortex. This new site, with almost no content right now, has a great idea: Drop the pretense of claiming to know what Apple is working on, forum mongers, and write them in their true form as desperate pleas for Crazy Apple Gear. Given that the nice domain name, also feel free to drop suggestions and open letters for the City and Mayor of Cupertino in here, too. Maybe an Apple-designed swing set off of N Stelling Road or something. [DearCupertino]
Via [Gizmodo]
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Today Sharp unveiled a prototype of a 26-inch LCD Aquos Television [JP], which is solely powered by solar energy. The company stated one day, their solution might bring TV to all the 1.6 billion people on earth who don’t have access to electricity. Sharp’s new green TV uses half of the power existing LCDs need. In […]
This day Sharp unveiled a prototype of a 26-inch LCD Aquos Television [JP], which is solely powered by solar energy. The company stated one day, their solution might bring TV to all the 1.6 billion people on earth who don’t have access to electricity.
Sharp’s new green Television uses half of the power existing LCDs need. In comparison to the power consumption of the 28C-PB500 [JP], a CRT Television Sharp introduced in 2002, the prototype looks even more interesting since it boasts just 25% of that old model’s annual power consumption.
A highly advanced triple-junction thin-film solar cell battery is used to power the green TV. The solar panel/TV kit will be showcased during the G8 summit in Hokkaido starting July 7th.
Via [crunchgear]
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The Sierra Nevada Corporation claimed this week that it is ready to begin production on the MEDUSA, a damned scary ray gun that uses the “microwave audio effect” to implant sounds and perhaps even specific messages inside people’s heads. Short for Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio, MEDUSA creates the audio effect with short microwave pulses. The pulses create a shockwave inside the skull that’s detected by the ears, and basically makes you think you’re going balls-to-the-wall batshit insane. The MEDUSA can also “produce recognizable sounds” and is aimed primarily at military uses, but New Scientist revealed there are other uses in the works, too.
And if you’re thinking ear plugs are this thing’s Kryptonite, think again. Lee Sadovnik of Sierra Nevada Corp. stated normal audio safety limits are off the table since the sound bypasses the eardrums and emanates from within the skull. “The repel effect is a combination of loudness and the irritation factor,” he said. “You can’t block it out.”
Wet blanket James Lin of the Electrical and Personal Engineering Department at the University of Illinois in Chicago wants more testing done, however, because of the perceived health ramifications of such a device. Lin said lower, whisper-level intensities work fine, but the higher incapacitating levels expected by the military could fry more than a few brains out on the battlefield. “I would worry about what other health effects it is having,” Lin stated. “You might see neural damage.”
And those “other uses” hinted at above? Try subliminal advertising; or suggestive subconscious comments that you don’t really “hear” but can influence decision-making anyway. Or, alternatively, the beam can be ramped up to 11 and just kill you outright. WIN!
Fun Gizmodo Fact: The MEDUSA is useless against a raging pack of schizophrenics. [New Scientist via Danger Room]
Via [Gizmodo]
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Windows Mobile users have had to look on in envy as people poked and drew penises on their friends’ walls with dedicated apps for BlackBerry and Palm, wistfully hoping that joy could one day be their own. And now it is! Apparently the first full Facebook app for Windows Mobile, FriendMobilizer will let you do all of the basics like stalk your newly single friend, send messages or ignore requests from people you’ve never met. It’s a lot greener (and uglier) than the Centro’s app (which I like a lot) but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. And I mean, you guys were begging for this, right? [Face of Mobile via ReadWriteWeb]
Via [Gizmodo]
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The Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Technology recently presented [JP] a humanoid robot that is programmed to walk like a fashion model. The researchers claim they used materials easily available anywhere for the development of the robot, which comes with a frame made of aluminum. The Manekin Robotto (fashion model robot) stands just 160cm tall, which might […]
The Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Technology recently presented [JP] a humanoid robot that’s programmed to walk like a fashion model. The researchers claim they used materials easily available anywhere for the development of the robot, which comes with a frame made of aluminum.
The Manekin Robotto (fashion model robot) stands just 160cm tall, which might not be enough to let it run on cat walks instead of real models. Weighing a more realistic 30kg, it moves through 16 joints and motorized cylinders built into its body. The robot is able to cross and bend its legs, just as human models are supposed to do. Too bad it’s so ugly.
Generally a Personal computer is needed to control the movements but if you insert an SD card holding pre-saved instructions into the robot’s memory card slot (located in its head), it can also move independently. The Manekin Robotto can also be remote-controlled via a cell phone.
The robot is available from the Japanese institute at an amazingly low price: It’s yours for just $940.
Via [crunchgear]
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