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April 27, 2006

Welcome Nintendo Wii

Nintendo's next generation game console codename Revolution finally has an official name. Posted on Nintendo's official site is a video along with some interesting text explaining the concept behind the name.

(from the site)
Introducing ... Wii.
As in "we."
While the code-name "Revolution" express our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down the wall that separates video game players from everybody else.
Wii will put people more in touch with their games ... and each other. But you're
probably asking: What does the name mean?
Wii sounds like "we," which emphasizes this console is for everyone.
Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they
speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.
Wii has a distinctive "ii" spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the
image of people gathering to play.
And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video
games that sets it apart from the crowd.
So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.
Because, it's really not about you or me.
It's about Wii.
And together, Wii will change everything.

I know, all the bad jokes are about to fly,

I can't wait to get a Revolution.
You mean Wii.
Yes, fine, WE can't wait to get a Revolution.
No, get a Wii.
What?
The name of the console.
You mean the Revolution?
Wii.
You're speaking French now?
No, you can't wait to get a Wii.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
You don't have a Wii.
No need to be a jerk. I just want a Revolution.
You mean a Wii.
I'll kill you!

But remember people, when the Gamecube came out, people thought it was dumb and stupid sounding as well. Just as when the Revolution Wii controller was revealed, most people dismissed it. Fast forward now and almost every developer and news publication has nothing but singing praises for it. In time, we will like Wii.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Posted by tranism at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | | |

Mazda RX-9 Concept

Hard to think why this new Mazda concept earned the right to use the "RX" nomenclature since it doesn't have a rotary engine (or maybe it does and they just didn't mention it). HOWEVER, what it does have is more than enough to ignore the naming scheme weirdness.

The RX-9 concept is a hybrid sports car using a wafer-thin electric motor giving the vehicle a very flat appearance. The slick skin features electrostatic collectors that collect electrical charges that build up on the exterior panels and divert that energy to the batteries. Even more amazing are the new electroactive polymer tires that can change its shape and tread pattern based on the terrain. The tires can go flat to smooth, knobby to grippy, or ride extra high for low rolling resistance to really increase fuel economy.

Click on those two links above to see more pictures.

Posted by tranism at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | | |

Solar Piggies

Looking like some robotic child-size VW Beetle, these creatures roam the dark sewage beneath Germany diligently cleaning up after us. The "electric pigs" as they are referred to, turn sewage waste into a sludge by using solar power to dry it out.

They apparently work very well since 100 of them already exist with more on the way. Here's a photo of one at work. Isn't it cute!

Posted by tranism at 1:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

A Sonic Alphabet

An installation that converts people's speech into a visual pattern using a phonetic writing system for representing sounds in English.

The shapes of the sounds intend to convey a hidden meaning, giving rise to a kinesthetic response, for example some words can feel sharp or smooth depending on how they were enunciated.

Check you the videos here

via information aesthetics

Posted by tranism at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Am I Good or Bad Food?

The Salter Nutrition Kitchen Scale accurately calculates the nutritional value of any food you place on it. The machine can calculate calories, protein, carbs, sugars, total fat, sodium, cholesterol, GI values and stores the info in its internal memory.

By keeping track of your daily food intake, you'd be surprise what you thought was good for you may be totally bad. For the serious health nut, its just another toy to help you achieve your perfect dietary goals. For the rest of us, its a new high-tech looking thing to display on the counter tops.

Posted by tranism at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 20, 2006

Energizing Displays

Unlike other renewable energy sources, Quiet Revolution displays are capable of creating highly visual displays as they produce energy. LEDs are embedded in each of its three s-shaped blades that rotate around its axel. This gives the illusion of a video in full color hanging in the air. It's said to be fully visible both day and night. Virtually silent and vibration free, it's ideally suited to both urban and exposed locations.

I was really curious how much kw it really generates and was surprised to find that two of these things can generate as much as 10% of the power required in a 1200m building.

Posted by diverseawareness at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 14, 2006

Vespa Hybrid Scooters

I've been seeing more and more Vespas here in California. I don't know if it's some retro fad the L.A.'ers are going thru or maybe there's some benefit to coasting really slowly on these clogged streets - whatever it is I just can't see it.

However, Vespa just unveiled two hybrid scooters, the retro LX 50 and the more sleek and modern Piaggio X8 (pictured above). Both scooters are essentially the same tech (the Piaggio has a bit more power). Both use a regenerative braking system which recaptures energy during breaking to recharge the two batteries located beneath the seat. You can also plug them into a wall socket for a full recharge in 3 hours. The company claims there is a 25% savings in energy and fuel. That's pretty damn good.

I still can't see myself on a Vespa but at least it's slightly more appealing to me now because of the tech.

more pictures of the retro LX 50 here

more picture of the sleek Piaggio here

Posted by tranism at 2:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

Monome

The Monome project is a device made up of an 8 x 8 grid of tactile pushbuttons with LED feedback and MIDI sounds. A constant metronome-like wave passes over each column and plays any sounds turned on. By using a visual grid pattern, artists can create some amazingly intricate beats made up of 64 unique elements.

Another version of the Monome also exists with a larger 16 x 16 grid capable of playing 256 unique elements.

Check out this video. So damn cool!

Posted by tranism at 2:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

For The Cooking Impaired

An "Intelligent Spoon" project at MIT is designed to taste your lousy cooking and suggest improvements. The spoon is equipped with sensors that measure temperature, acidity, salinity, and viscosity. The sensors evaluate the different properties of the food and send the information to a PC with suggestions for improvements.

I'll just wait for the Martha Stewart branded version. "It's a good thing."

via THE RAW FEED

Posted by tranism at 1:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Whale Species Dynabook

UPDATE!
Researches are now sure its not a new whale species. It is in fact a new seal species. The whole music attribute threw everyone off. In fact, one researcher claims its Hana Maru, the mysterious girlfriend of Sanrio's Bad Batz Maru.

A new mini whale species was discovered a few days ago. Scientists are naming it "Dynabook DAP" since it seems to be attached to the new Toshiba Dynabook CX. So far, the whale hasn't been seen alone outside of that. Researchers say the whale exists in some sore of symbiotic relationship with the laptop but don't worry, this whale's songs shouldn't just be limited to Dynabook users.

The tiny whale is capable of storing up to 512mb of songs with no DRM lock. That means he should be able to work with any USB equipped computer. The challenge is finding one alone :)

According to detailed observations, the Dynabook Whale is all white, has an audio jack on its left side, an LCD screen on its belly with a bevy of audio controls. First reports in say the whale's songs are of excellent quality.

I really want one. I'm hoping the Dynabook species will migrate to America someday, otherwise I might have to try and find this baby on ebay.

another picture after the jump

Posted by tranism at 1:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

Ferrofluid Display

A true liquid display using the science of ferrofluid (micro magnetic particles suspended in a soap like agent) to play a simple game of SNAKE.

The display was created as a student project entitled SNOIL. The developers not only demonstrate snake, but also time keeping, and simple text animations. The display apparently has gyroscopes in it or something to read the slight angle pitches created by the player to direct where the ferrofluid should react.

Ferrofluids are normally used in industrial applications so it's damn cool to see it used like this.

Check out this video.

via Core77

Posted by tranism at 1:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

3mm Thick LCD

Toshiba Matsushita (Panasonic), a joint venture between the two largest Japanese PC manufacturers, presents a 12.1" Poly-Si LCD with LED backlighting only 2.9mm thick!

The screen is designed for laptops and holds the title as the worlds thinnest LCD panel. With a 300cd/m2 brightness level and a 1280 x 800 resolution, this thing will allow for some really thin laptops with HD resolution. Power consumption has also been significantly cut due to the thinness of the panel.

I say, stick one of these babies in an Apple laptop please!

Posted by tranism at 1:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 10, 2006

Get Me a WiFi Bunny Stat!

YAY! The Nabaztag WiFi Bunny is finally for sale. I've already blogged about it several times and I'm so glad the price point comes in at an affordable $140.

To refresh your memory. Nabaztag (say that 10x' fast) keeps you in touch with the world by the wiggle of its ears and the color change in its body. Thru wireless technology, Nabaztag allows you to check the latest weather forecast or traffic updates. It can also receive messages by phone, email, and SMS. Multiple Bunnies? No problem. Nabaztag detects friendly Nabaztag Bunnies and by moving your rabbit's ears, you friend's bunny ears will move simultaneously.

I want one so bad. PLEASE!

Posted by tranism at 3:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Mercedez-Benz Carbon Bike

Are you a cyclist and have some cash to burn? Well for a mere $3,760 you can own a limited edition Mercedes-Benz Carbon Bike. Only 199 are commissioned to be made and the bike has already won praises for its weight (less than 18 lbs), and its high-tech components; compliments of Shimano.

I heard it's going fast so if you want one, you better get that credit card ready.

Posted by tranism at 3:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 9, 2006

Femme Bot

It looks like one of my favorite humanoid robots Chroino is about to get a girlfriend name FT (female type). Made by the same made scientists, FT stands a svelte 14 inches and does everything Chroino does - except in a feminine kind of way. If Chroino is all about agility and strength, FT is all about grace and civility. Just look at the way she stands! Damn Girl!

For the uninformed, these are our future robo toys, for our edutainment and quite possibly our servants if you play your cards right. If you thought Aibo was pretty advanced, it has nothing on Chroino and FT. Just check out this video of Chroino in action.

Both go into production in about a year.

Posted by tranism at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 4, 2006

WESC + Nokia = Limited Edition 3250

One of the coolest phones from Nokia is the 3250; with its large super crisp display, 2 megapixel camera, Symbian based OS, and swiveling keypad to reveal a fully integrated MP3 player with dedicated controls - it's sure to be a hit.

Well those who held out may have been doing so for this. The eagerly anticipated WESC designed 3250 finally hit store shelves yesterday in Europe making it the first in a long line of collabs with the European clothing retailer.

The special edition phone is fully customized and comes in a travel kit with loads of goodies such as an integrated world travel guide, top of the line headphones, passport holder, eye mask, and even skateboard wheels.

Visit the website and you'll hear some bangin' beats. Want them? No worries because the phone comes preloaded with all the tunes from the website to take advantage of its excellent MP3 functionality. Note, some of these tracks are RARE, remixes, unreleased and not found anywhere else.

For those of us outside Europe drooling over this phone, just give it a week or two and I'm sure a few will pop up on Ebay. If you don't care who WESC are, then just buy the regular 3250 from Ebay. I checked and there's plenty. :)

more pictures after the jump

Posted by tranism at 1:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

April 2, 2006

USB in Your Life

It can be anything, extend into any part of your life. USB - the little data port that could is universally seen as a way to get something from one thing to another. The current craze are USB flash storage devices sporting up to 1 gig or more of memory space.

So what about USB devices in your everyday life, in the most unexpected places. Whatever you attach USB to, it communicates an idea of what it's for. For example, we see a little lock with a USB port. Perhaps the information it stores is very secretive and private.

more examples after the jump

via hight3ch

What about USB on wedding bands. Each ring contains information about your partner. Maybe you've forgotten when your anniversary was. No problem, just plug it in and get that instant reminder. With USB, you can extend your dedication beyond the physical into the digital.

Got a presentation coming up? Do you only wear a tie once every full moon? Well why not put that ill-often used tie to good use by USB'ing it? Get your work information to and from with ease.

All doctors should have a USB enabled stethoscope. After placing that cold cold plate against my chest and back, it would be cool to see him/her plug it into a terminal and all my pertinent vital signs are downloaded into my file.

The ultimate image in security. A bra held together by USB. I wonder what sorts of information one would store on it. Better yet, I wonder what kinds of information it would yield.

Posted by tranism at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Maximize Your Vision

I had a recent discussion with a coworker about human augmentation. We both have differing opinions and it was interesting to really dig deep as to why he feels "natural" is better. What we both could agree on was augmentation is fine when it isn't permanent or require surgery.

Well here's something that would meet both of our standards. Nike has just released new contact lenses called NIKEVISION that provide distortion free optics, protects your eyes from harmful UV rays, covers your entire pupil eliminating glare and enhancing contrast for better distance viewing. The new optics were created for athletes to help them perform in their respective fields.

Right now you can obtain a free trial thru their website for both prescription and nonprescription lenses. Too bad the lenses don't include thermal, x-ray, and mind reading capabilities.

Posted by tranism at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

The Joy of Painting

I love me some Bob Ross. I was sooo sad when news of his passing got to me. My childhood memories are filled with things like "happy little trees" and "persian blue". His voice had some weird mid-west/canadian twist to it but somehow it was very soothing. He inspired me so, i used to squeeze toothpaste onto a piece of paper and re-inact his show.

HE'S COMING TO THE NINTENDO DS! Yes Nintendo showed off a strange demo called Mario Paint years ago for the Nintendo 64. Then the whole project disappeared. I guess it took a cool device with a touchscreen to really bring it back to life, and if it lets you paint like Bob Ross, I'm all for it! Imagine learning how to paint, sharing it with friends thru Nintendo's WiFi service and uploading it to your computer to print.

This is another one of those Nintendo video games that isn't really a video game. If anything, it's another hit for Nintendo. I can't wait!

Posted by tranism at 4:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | | |