New Super-Efficient Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled

New Super-Efficient Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled: "'Trinity,' a highly fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid vehicle, was unveiled today by engineering students at the University of California, Davis. The vehicle is the team's entry in the national Challenge X competition, sponsored by General Motors Corp. and the U.S. Department of Energy. Field trials for the competition will take place in Phoenix next month."

PC case modded to look like a movie bad-guy bomb

PC case modded to look like a movie bad-guy bomb: "Cory Doctorow: The WMD is a custom-built PC whose case resembles a shiny, hollywoodized terrorist bomb, straight out of a Bond flick. Bit-Tech has the incredibly detailed, lavish write-up of the build. The attention to detail is really remarkable. Link (via Digg)


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Inflatable buildings - from an office to a pavilion

Inflatable buildings - from an office to a pavilion: "Cory Doctorow: Britain's Inflate sells and rents gigantic inflatable structures, ranging from a small 'office in a box' to gigantic pavilions. Link (via Cribcandy)


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DISH ViP 622 HDTV DVR Reviewed (Verdict: Convergently Great)

DISH ViP 622 HDTV DVR Reviewed (Verdict: Convergently Great): "The TV junkies over at i4u reviewed the DISH Network HDTV DVR and found it a worthwhile purchase. The 250GB hard drive allows for 25 hours of HD programming or 180 hours of SD programming.

The unique feature of this box allows two rooms to watch TV through the device without having a separate receiver in the second room. How it works: connect the tuner in the first room, set the TV to a specific channel in the second room, and the tuner sends signals through your home's coax cable wire. The second room even gets its own remote so the two rooms don't need to be watching the same program. With this, you can watch one HD channel and record two separate standard definition channels.

The only downside is the cost. TiVo is much cheaper if you don't need the two-room functionality. An MCE machine with a separate MCE Extender may also be around the same price and offer extended functionality without the HD tuner capabilities. All in all, the feature set makes this DISH DVR worth the pr"

Microsoft Announces FlexGo Pay-As-You-Go Tech for Emerging Markets

Microsoft Announces FlexGo Pay-As-You-Go Tech for Emerging Markets: "Pay 50% of the cost upfront, then pay-as-you-go for the remaining balance..."

Shoes Straight from the World of Tron

Shoes Straight from the World of Tron: "Why hide your nerdiness from the world when you can walk around town in shoes inspired by that movie of movies, Tron? From Addidas and available in the UK for £65 (about $122), these shoes—officially called The Stan Smith Comfort—won't give you special superpowers or anything, but then again, neither will that 'Pwned!' shirt that you constantly wear. Apparently, the tongue shows a picture of Tron and the evil Master Control Programmer on the footbed, but you wouldn't know it from the pictures that Adidas supplied.

Are they worth importing all the way from the UK? We guess that depends on how much money you have to waste, as well as your level of self-confidence.

Product Page [Adidas UK via Kotaku]
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Research Highlights How Bacteria Produce Energy

Research Highlights How Bacteria Produce Energy: "The world's smallest life forms could be the answer to one of today's biggest problems: providing sustainable, renewable energy for the future. Using a variety of natural food sources, bacteria can be used to create electricity, produce alternative fuels like ethanol and even boost the output of existing oil wells, according to research being presented this week at the 106th General Meeting of the (ASM) American Society for Microbiology in Orlando, Florida."

Fostex Japan eA Any-Surface Speakers

Fostex Japan eA Any-Surface Speakers: "Similar to the Nimzy Vibro Blaster, Fostex Japan's eA speakers can be placed on any flat surface and turn it into a speaker. With a blue glow on the bottom reminiscent of the Griffin Powermate, the eA looks a lot classier.

The 3.5mm mini jack can be used with anything that has that sized port: iPod, laptop, PC, phone, you name it.

Available in June for $148.

Fostex Japan's eA Speakers [Akibalive]
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EyeMove PC

EyeMove PC: "Over the years those concepts which we use to see in sci-fi movies are being shaped for usage in normal lives. Just look at the EyeMove PC which in every sense is a mobile computing solution which makes even notebooks passé. The Eye Move PC not only looks ultra chic but also has an integrated projection lens controlled by a multi-function wireless controller. Thus all your tasks or multimedia content can be viewed on any wall or surface and you can access the PC via the wireless controller. That doesn’t mean that you go and throw out your mouse and keyboard in the dumpster since there’s no word on when it may actually be produced for the consumer markets.

Via YankoDesign "

Defense Tech: Gunners Train with Army Game

The Army sure is getting their money's worth out of America's Army, a first-person shoot-em-up computer game developed as an innovative new military recruitment tool.

CROWS_XM312_0064-web_low.jpgNow the Pentagon is planning to use America's Army's gaming platform as a basic skills trainer on the new Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS). And why not? Use a video game to train troops on...well, a video game. CROWS is a system that allows soldiers to manipulate a Humvee mounted variety of medium to heavy weaponary from the relative safety of inside the vehicle. It's just one of many Pentagon solutions aimed at combating the IED and sniper threat in Iraq. And it's already popular with the troops. 'The primary purpose of the CROWS is to get the gunner out of the turret where he is exposed to enemy fire and fragmentation and get him down inside the vehicle for protection,' Sergeant First Class Sam Cottrell said of the new weapon station, 'The CROWS system is an excellent tool. The advantages are obviously its optics, zoom and thermal capabilities.'

On display at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, members of the Army Games Project boasted that CROWS will also be available in the newest version of America's Army, titled Overmatch. Players will be allowed to operate the system precisely how it was intended to be used in real-life, with a team of up to 4 soldiers using the weapon station to engaged the enemy while stationary or on the move, using daytime or thermal imaging, and employing the M-2 machine gun or MK-19 grenade launcher. True to life, gamers will even have to deploy a team member to reload the weapon ouside the vehicle.

Bad puns aside, talk about getting more bang for your buck. Not only has America's Army become a hyper-effective recruiting device, the Army is now squeezing realistic training uses out of the game as well. I don't know if the Army is working on any more two-for-one specials, but somebody should send the Air Force the memo." [link]:

See the World Through the Eyes of a Baby - Gizmodo

"A group of visual researchers have come up with a method that alters pictures so that they look like what babies see. (Just ignore that terrible phrasing and take a look a the picture to understand better.) Dubbed TinyEyes, it shows the clear progression of vision’s improvement through the first few weeks of life. By the looks of it, you’ve got eight weeks to get rid of that terrible Dave Matthews Band t-shirt you’ve been wearing, lest your child think you’re a total dweeb." [link]:

GM Hy-Wire automobile (video) - Automotoportal.com

"GM Hy-Wire automobile (video)

General Motors has released video of Hy-wire, the first drivable vehicle that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with by-wire technology.

Not a car you will ever be able to buy, but definitely a sign of the future. Probably the most advanced power system in the world: a completely non polluting fuel cell that takes hydrogen and produces electricity with the only by-product being a little bit of water vapour. As if that wasn't enough, all the controls are 'by-wire' with no physical linkages from accelerator, brake or even steering wheel. That means the driver can press a button to change from right hand drive to left hand drive. How convenient would that be for European holidays?

GM Hy-Wire automobile (video) - Automotoportal.com: