Main | techness: October 2005 »
September 30, 2005
Illuminair
Get more light with . . . air.
No, it's not powered by air, but the amount of light you choose to have is controlled by how much air is err...um, passed?
Ok, lemme explain this better. Basically the current method to control how much light is emitted from a bulb is done thru circuity. Although not necessarily complex, there is a better more efficient way. Start off with a bright bulb but instead of manipulating how much current reaches the bulb, you have a secondary system that reveals the bulb. Get it? No? Okay, lemme explain some more.
The Illuminair lamp plays with a person's notions of the action required to turn on a lamp. Rather than flipping a switch, air is pumped into the lamp. As more air fills the lamp - more of the bulb is revealed. Releasing a valve allows the air to escape and lowers the bulb back into the tube. Now do you get it? Good!
Posted by tranism at 1:52 PM | Permalink
Zeno The Must Have Gadget
There are a couple items that every person should carry; wallet, purse, keys, phone and maybe some convergence device like a pda/camera/mp3 player. I know the modern man and woman already has too much to carry but this one is a MUST have. It's slim enough to slip in your pocket and sleek enough to use anywhere.
Its called the ZENO. It is an acne clearing device. It clears pimples in people with mild to moderate acne. It is a one-handed portable electronic medical device that is clinically proven to make pimples disappear within days - most within 24 hours.
It works by using heat shock technology and as alarming as that may sound, you feel nothing. The shock causes bacteria and other microorganisms to self-destruct and heat also triggers the quick healing abilities of the largest organ in our body - the skin.
All you do is apply some pressure against the skin lesion (thats what pimples are) and press a button. Do this 2-3 times a day. By morning, depending on the original size of the pimple, it'll either be gone or significantly reduced and will continue to disappear if you apply a few more treatments.
Seriously, I know I sound like an informercial but if you suffer from the occasional breakout, this is the product for you. It does what all those creams, liquids and serums do - kills the bacteria that lives inside of the clogged pore. Give it a try people. It's a little pricey at $225 and $35 for replacement tips but its still a lot cheaper than one visit and treatment at the derma.
Posted by tranism at 1:23 PM | Permalink
September 26, 2005
Kangoo Jumps
Call me a dork, I don't care because I lust after the Kangoo Jumps. They are low impact rebound sport shoes. By using body's weight, the energy is transferred to rubber coils that bounce that energy back, springing you off the ground. It's great for jogging, running and hiking. The strain normally directed to your heels and ankles are reduced since the shell surrounding the rubber coils absorb most of the shock.
I can just see myself running around the office, making trips to the corner store and these babies might JUST MIGHT get me to go hiking. Who the hell doesn't wanna bounce around like a Kangaroo??? I know I do so I implore my readers; BUY ME ONE, size 11 (I got big feet) please. Spanx much. :)
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 1:06 AM | Permalink
September 25, 2005
Buy Something Nintendo
Will you go out and buy a Nintendo Gameboy SP or Gameboy Micro now?
Posted by tranism at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 15, 2005
This is the Revolution, Nintendo Style
So there it is, Nintendo finally revealed it's enigmatic controller for it's next generation video game console. As the news is a buzz with the imminent release of the Microsoft Xbox360, Nintendo managed to steal some of it's thunder during the Tokyo Game Show - the largest game conference in Asia.
After months of speculation, fan made concept drawings, dissing and hissing - Nintendo reveals just why it has named it's next console "Revolution", because it truly is one.
more after the jump
At first glance, you'd be hard pressed to believe that there is anything revolutionary here. The controller looks like a typical t.v. remote, but look closer and you'll see the revolutionary aspect comes from how you play; in fact, this could change the way we play video games forever.
Before I go into the controller, let me re-cap what I know about the console. First off, ITS TINY. While the Playstion 3 and Xbox360 are beasts in size and power, Nintendo has opted for a smaller compact form factor. The trade off is it might not be as powerful, but Nintendo is compensating by focusing more on innovative and unique gameplay as opposed to raw horsepower and graphics. The Revolution will also have free wireless access allowing you to play nearly 20 years of Nintendo games. You heard right, if ever you wanted to be a little nostalgic and play the original Donkey Kong or Super Mario Bros., the Revolution is for you.
Now on to the controller; it's essentially a wireless, square remote that works like a computer mouse would in three dimensional space. Imagine sticking your hand into a virtual box and having your TV understand how it's moving in there.
Main Controller Features
- 3D Pointing - Sensors understand up, down, left, right, forward and backward.
- Tilt Sensitive - Controller can be rotated or rolled from side to side using internal gyroscopes.
- Buttons - Has a trigger on it's backside, face buttons, and a D-Pad.
- Multifunctional - Has an expansion port which can be used with different types of controller peripherals. For example, an analog stick with two trigger buttons.
- Wireless - Totally wireless.
- Rumble built in - provide vibration and tactile feedback to enhance gaming sensation.
Demo #1: Point and Shoot
Like a laser pointer, the main controller was used to move a simple cursor on the TV screen and shoot square blocks for points. It was simple, merely colored lines in 2D, but effective. It was easy to get a feel for just how sensitive the device is -- it responded to all the movements quickly and smoothly. We did feel the need to use two hands, however, to steady it and improve accuracy, but that only lends to the idea of just how sensitive it is.
Demo #2: Fishing
Much more advanced than just a simple cursor, this revealed how the controller can navigate a 3D space, moving an object on the TV screen not only left, right, up, and down, but also forward and backwards with depth. Users simply use the hand cursor on the screen to pick up a fishing pole and dip its line into a pond full of fish. Like nearly all of the demos, this was very crude, so don't go imaging even fishing on the Ocarina of Time level -- this was like a coloring book with flat fish in the water. The visual medium wasn't the point, though. It was pretty intuitive to just reach forward with our virtual hand, pick up the rod, and then dip the hook into the pond and dangle it there. When a fish finally bit, the remote rumbled, which was the cue to tug back on the controller to catch it. As it was only a prototype controller, it was wired because rumble was not in the wireless versions yet.
Demo #3: Shock Stick
Like the first, this was to show how you can point and move something. It was a bit like the board game Operation, only instead of navigating tweezers you navigated a rotating stick through a two-dimensional cave. The skill was to keep a steady hand, collect coins, and don't hit the walls. Small springboards on the side would change the direction of the spin of the stick, which aided in creating a strategy for navigating around things.
Demo #4: Air Hockey
This blended basic pointing with something new: twisting. As you might imagine, players hit a puck back and forth by maneuvering their "hockey sticks" with the controller. The catch was that by twisting your wrist, left or right, you could angle the stick to send the puck in another direction. Twisting, in addition to hitting was actually pretty difficult in this demo. It worked to a point, but it also lacked the intuitiveness that a real table would have. It seemed mainly aimed at familiarizing us with the notion of twisting the remote to turn things.
Demo #5: Basketball
Again, this focused on laser pointer style controls. The game was to simply move a basketball around on the court, not by bouncing it, but instead dragging it by pressing the B-trigger in back of the remote to create an indent. The ball rolled into the crevice, and you could drag it towards the hoops. Then, with the A-button, you could reverse the indent, creating a hill and pop the ball upwards toward the hoop. It was a simple two-player game, but worked to show off the sensitivity of the cursor and how it was interacting with another player in the same space. Surprisingly, it was easy to keep track of where you were on the court, allowing for blocks and steals.
Demo #6: Toy Plane
Set in the watery hub of Mario Sunshine, this demonstrated that not all controls are created equal. The remote could be held like a toy airplane, fingertips support its base, which allowed the player to tilt it forwards to dip down, back to gain elevation, and twisted left or right turn. The objective was just to steer the plane through rings in the sky. Of course the first thing that came to mind was Pilotwings, so it's easy to see how these simple applications of the controller could be grown into something more complex. It was pretty intuitive to pull off dips and quick turns. Miyamoto joked that you could have a controller peripheral shaped like a toy plane to really make it interesting.
Demo #7: Where's Pikachu?
One of the crudest demos, the screen displayed a flat map with many Pokemon characters crowded together on it. It was a spoof on Where's Waldo, the famous find-the-needle-in-the-haystack illustrated book. The controller lent the ability to look left and right by just pointing the cursor across the map, but also zooming in by moving towards the screen (or zooming back out by moving away). One can imagine how a sniper rifle in a first-person shooter might take advantage of those kinds of controls.
Demo 8: First Person Shooting
For the final demo, the one that most represented how a game might feel with the Revolution controller, Nintendo displayed what was apparently a test by the team at Retro Studios for what they could do with Metroid Prime 3. They stressed it was just a test, quickly thrown together in just a few weeks. For this, the analog control stick peripheral was used. We held it in our left hand to control the forwards, backwards, and side-strafing motions, as well as having access to triggers in back for scanning; meanwhile, the right hand used the main Revolution remote control to behave just like a mouse on a personal computer. It was a very natural application and felt pretty smooth, but since it wasn't a polished game it did feel a bit awkward at times, making us wonder what kind of things a developer could do to calibrate these kinds of controls for users. Nonetheless, the potential is huge for the FPS genre.
It's easy to imagine why Nintendo is so heavily invested in the idea. There is such great potential to do so many unique things. Playing a real-time strategy game like Starcraft would be extremely fluid and intuitive. Mario Party, we're sure you can guess, will finally be a completely new experience. What of Zelda or Mario? No word yet, but imagine swinging your sword in Zelda instead of pressing buttons. Or, in Mario, imagine having to grab blocks and build platforms. Also, since the controller flips on its side to work very much like a NES pad, it would be interesting to mix up gameplay and throw in an old-school challenge. From what I've seen, the Nintendo Revolution could quite possible tap into new markets and expand the current one even further by making games that are controlled intuitively - games anyone can play.
From a market standpoint, Nintendo is in a good place. Most households have more that one console. While Sony and Microsoft battle out who is king in the living room, Nintendo would fare well as the "second" console with games the other two systems can never have. It is true, it's not about raw power, uber-realistic graphics, or media centric machines. It's about making an affordable machine, with graphics that are on-par, innovative interfaces for unique and one of a kind gaming. I suspect, Nintendo is on the right track after being lost for so many years. The Nintendo Revolution isn't expected until early next year. I can't wait!.
credit to IGN
Posted by tranism at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
September 11, 2005
Disappointed With Motorola ROKR
Apple industrial design has dominated much of the pc landscape for over 10 years. Each time Steve Jobs announces a new product, the whole industry turns into Siskel and Ebert, tearing about every nook and cranny, defining what works and what doesn't. If other PC manufacturers were forced to subscribe to the same level of scrutiny, they would have their asses chewed out. No other PC manufacturer with the exception of Sony, comes anywhere close to the might of Apple industrial design. This is where the brand spanking new Motorola ROKR confuses me.
Why oh why, with all of Apple's know how in easy of use, simplicity in design, grade of materials, quality of build and branding - allow the ROKR to be the first iTunes branded phone? With the simultaneous announcement of the iPod nano, it's clear that Apple still knows how to design drool worthy products. In fact, Apple is about the ONLY home grown consumer electronics company that can make the Japanese and Koreans envious. This only adds to my confusion as to why Apple would let Motorola design (re-brand an existing phone) the ROKR themselves. Wasn't it clear to both Motorola and Apple execs that an Apple designed phone would have sent shockwaves thru the cellular industry? Wasn't it clear to them that an Apple designed phone would have sent the mobile carriers into a frenzy trying to carry the phone exclusively?
After some thought, I can think of one reason why; money. I suspect Apple won't be making much money off of the phone. Almost all profits will probably be going to Motorola and Cingular. Motorola because they designed the phone; Cingular because they are the exclusive carrier. How does Apple fit in? Simply integrating their iTunes client into a phone isn't going to make them money. I suspect they are charging a small licensing fee but without a cellular version of the iTunes store, I don't see how else they could be turning a profit. So it must be a stepping stone for Apple. They are testing the waters in a new market without heavily investing themselves. They are taking the safer route. Go with an established handset maker and the largest cellular provider. If those two ingredients aren't enough to sky rocket Apple to success in the mobile market, then they can easily exit with a minimum of loss. What's the flip side to this scenario? Well, lets say the Motorola ROKR becomes a raging success. Where other companies like Samsung and Sony Ericsson fail to successfully integrate music into their phones, Apple and Motorola have somehow forced the industry to it's kneews and expanded the digital music market. Apple now has experience and they go back to the drawing board to truly design an Apple iPhone. How will this affect their relationship with Motorola? Not by much at all. Despite Apple's expertise, they still don't manufacturer any of the internal components to their hardware. This will also ring true for an Apple designed iPhone. It's internal components will come from Motorola, but it's outer shell, interface and UI will be all Apple. It's seamless syncing ability and customization to both Macs and PC's will teach other companies how to do it right. It would be a high end phone, powerful enough for professionals, easy enough for your mom and dad. It's the kind of device that will do what the iPod did for the music industry. it will become and iconic figure and go down in history as a true evolution in the doggy dog world of cell phones.
Posted by tranism at 2:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
September 6, 2005
Subaru R1e Maybe Soon
At the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, Subaru unveiled the R1e which is an all electric version of the R1 sold only in Japan. So what's so hot about an electric vehicle? We used to have one here in the states called the EV1 made by GM only to be completely axed and GM admitting it was a failure. The R1e addresses all the issues the EV1 faced; size, economy, cost, reliability, recycle-ability and efficiency.
So lets talk stats. The R1e is a 2+2 vehicle powered by a next generation battery codeveloped by NEC technologies. The batteries are super light, much more energy dense, made from manganese lithium-ion and can be charged in about 15 minutes from a single standard outlet. One full charge allows the R1e to travel 125 miles. That would be perfect for trips to and from work, school and errands, but the reality is, that range is too short for the wide open expanses of American freeways. So how will this vehicle and vehicles like it impact the future of automotive travel?
Economically, the R1e makes sense because its a "transitional vehicle", meaning it's not to replace current petrol based autos. Its purpose is to force people to re-evaluate their transportation needs, getting the public used to technology they didn't grow up with, and eventually penetrating the mass market. Once those three conditions are met, only then will the mass public be able to transition into alternative energy based technologies such as fuel cells. Current methods of trying to get alternatively powered vehicles into market will never "sale" past early adopters and tree huggers because it causes a disruption in current energy, power and fuel infrastructures. We can not expect large oil and car companies to move first. They watch where the demand is so it is up to the public to move first and thats where vehicles like the R1e step in.
The size of the R1e is perfect for many reasons. Going smaller allows you to pull from old design manuals that say if you want a super strong object, with the maximum amount of volume, using the least amount of materials . . . you go for a spherical shape. The bubble shaped R1e fulfills all these requirements. It's nut-shell like frame makes it incredibly strong and it's aerodynamic shape lends to its smooth ride and long range for an all electric vehicle.
Reliability was a major issue for GM's EV1. Many owners complained of battery failure and exceedingly long charging hours for very little mileage. Cost wise the EV1 was a nightmare as GM tried to market it for the everyday commuter but the vehicle cost nearly 2x as much as a better equipped gas car. Subaru did right by making the R1e's list of standard features comparable to current offerings. Unlike the EV1, you get air conditioning, cd player, cruise control, safety, car like ride and easy maintainence.
The technology inside the EV1 was still in it's infancy and the market wasn't ready. However with the success of hybrids, now is the time for a vehicle like the R1e to really step forward and claim it's market. Hybrids are wonderful (I own a Prius) but as environmentally friendly as they are, there are still emissions exiting it's tail pipe and they still need a commodity that is growing shorter and more expensive every day; gas.
This is where the R1e exceeds previous electric vehicle iterations and surpasses current hybrid offerings. No emissions and a battery system that is 100% recyclable. Subaru and NEC spent a considerable amount of money figuring out a way out to re-use battery components and to completely recycle them into new vehicles. This drives down costs and makes the most expensive component of the vehicle much more manageable to produce, thus passing those savings on down to the consumers.
Which leads to the final element for the R1e's possible success here in America. As a transitional, alternative, and even 2nd vehicle . . . it needs to be affordable. Because it lacks the range gas vehicles enjoy, it needs to undercut current offerings by making it even more affordable. A sub $9,000 car would send legions of college students, first time buyers, and commuters to Subaru show rooms. It's mass adoption will force the big companies to finally open and distribute an alternative energy infrastructure and from that success; will allow Subaru and other car manufactures to seriously spend more money not just on concept research but actually bringing these vehicles into production. The goal one day is to finally allow technology to step forward to solve our oil, gas and pollution problems. The current model of our capitalist based society often hinders advancements for monetary reasons. We need to force a revolution there but to get to that point, we need consumers to buy, adopt, and mass-accept.
I for one love the R1e. It's design appeals to me much more than the SMART cars do. It's all electric platform makes my bank account happy as my dependency on gas will be alleviated. 125 miles per charge is plenty to get me to and from work and run errands. With it's success I can see charging stations opening up all over the country. With 15 minute charge times, that'll give me just enough time to get out, stretch my legs and grab a snack. Subaru has already confirmed the R1e will come to Japan with the possibility of an introduction to America. I say, bring it on Subaru, bring it on. It's a small step, but a right one.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
September 4, 2005
processing BIT SHIFTER
Bit Shifter is a digital musician that makes music using Gameboys as synthesizers. Processing is an open source java based programming language that many artists (like flight404) and scientists are using to create some pretty amazing visuals and interactivity. The two came together several months ago when Bit Shifter asked flight404 to use his processing programming prowess to create visuals for an exhibit.
What resulted was an interface controlling the processing software using 4 Griffin Powermate knobs set in a plexiglass base to evenly diffuse the blue glow emanating from each knob. By adjusting the knobs, custom visuals can be created for each Bit Shifter song.
I love Bit Shifter and I love flight404. Both are progressive artists in the digital arena and its great when people from different sub disciplines come together to make art. Please be sure to check out more photos and videos from the exhibit.
flight404 website
bitshifter website
Posted by tranism at 4:55 PM | Permalink
September 3, 2005
Photonic My Fabric
Mad scientists over at Philips Research always come up with cool experiments that you'd love to see in your home, but find it hard to find any practicality in them. Their latest effort brings an interconnecting flexible substrate with red, green an blue LEDs. They call it photonic textiles.
When the substrate is applied underneath a soft fabric, the light diffuses resulting in a more continuous light source emitting a soft glow. My question is, where does the the heat from the LEDs go and how is it dissipated?
One possible application is light therapy. We've all heard about the thousands of depressed people in the far north. Not enough sun and the mind begins to wander. (Sorry plankton, I know you're Swedish but you know it's TRUE!). Light therapy fools the mind into resetting it's internal clock and is traditionally administered in a controlled environment. Maybe now people can take soft comfy pillows home that can help their mind and bodies while they sleep at night. If this ain't a valid use of the technology, then there's only one other option . . .
Ikea. I see truck loads of pillows, blankets, curtains etc . . . made from photonic textiles. In fact, I predict it to be a huge hit with college students and Korean girls as they'll be able to get lighting and curtains all in one product. Saves money, saves time. Ikea, if you buy into this technology, I expect you to give electroplankton a reasonable share of the profits. That's all we ask.
Posted by tranism at 11:08 PM | Permalink
Panasonic Panorama Fo Shizzel
A friend of mine told me to review this camera for him because he didn't have time. Didn't have time? Ummm, I would die (figure of speech people) for a chance to review gadgets for a living. Nonetheless, I hopped at the opportunity. A few hours later, he arrived at my door with a nice black box. Barely saying a "hello" to him, I rushed to the kitchen to splice open the package. 1 minute and several cardboard pieces later, I reached my prize; the Panasonic Lumix LX1.
I spent a whole weekend with this camera and here are some first impressions. It feels incredibly solid and surprisingly not heavy considering how much metal makes up the shell. The camera is about the size of my Sony Cybershot T1 (formally the world champion as the thinnest 5 megapixel camera) except it's slightly thicker. I can live with the extra thickness because the Lumix has and does things my beloved T1 can't even touch.
The major difference is it's ability to go widescreen. Thats right; it can take photos at a 16:9 aspect ratio. In fact after some researching, it turns out to be a first in the digital camera world. Thats pretty big. But why would anyone want to take widescreen photos? Well for starters, widescreen lets you pack in more detail and information than your traditional 4:3 aspect ratio. It's wide photo framing ability makes taking those large group pictures a hell of a lot easier. Eventually, all consumer photography will move to the 16:9 format because that's where all electronics are going. Already we see the adoption of widescreen televisions and computer equipment. Future media players and even our cell phones are next in line for this transition. For those not yet willing to make that transition, don't fear because the Lumix can take photos at the current 4:3 aspect ratio and even the smaller but cute 3:2 aspect ratio. You see, it's all "versatility".
The second thing the Lumix has that trumps my trust Sony T1 is megapixel count. My T1 pushes 5 megapixels but this Panasonic beauty pushes 8.4 megapixels. You'd think that is overkill for a consumer digital camera but if you're going to be taking wide photos, the extra megapixels come in handy for crisp and clear images.
Other features include Panasonic's image stabilization technology called MEGA O.I.S. From my experience, it works and is totally invisible to the end user just like the image stabilization tech in most Sony Cybershots. This camera takes it a step further by adding real manual controls for those people who like to manipulate their focus, aperture and shuttle speeds; a first for a consumer digital camera. And for those like me that just wanna point and click, this camera has an amazing auto-focus feature that works instantaneously. No waiting 1 or 2 seconds while you watch your camera adjust itself on screen. The Lumix also boasts 14 preset scene modes to make it even easier to shoot under varying conditions. My favorite is the Starry Night mode, which makes taking photos out at night perfect. My Sony T1 has problems taking photos at night, usually giving me semi clear photos with lots of background noise and grain. The Lumix didn't have this problem at all making me further fall in love with it.
The last and final thing this camera has is it's giant 2.5" LCD screen. Previewing your photos is a joy because the screen is so crystal clear - it's almost liquid if that makes any sense. The screen is bright and super sharp, easily overtaking what I consider to be the sharpest 2.5" screen available now - the Casio Exilim.
You would think all this widescreen and bright LCD screen goodiness would suck the battery dry but the lithium battery gave me a full 2 hours of power. That's taking a photo and previewing it on screen. I took a total of 51 shots before I filled up my memory card and the camera still had some juice left to go.
In my opinion, the Lumix merges the best features of professional photography with a consumer camera all into one sleek package. I'm getting ready to trade in my Sony T1 for this beauty. It retails for $500.00 so start saving your pennies now. This camera will not disappoint.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)