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June 25, 2006
Tamagochi 10 year Anniversary
Man, 10 years old ONLY? I thought they were much older than that but Bandai is selling a series of limited edition Tamagochis to commemorate the milestone. Each anniversary edition comes packaged in a Japanese bento box.
I would say, "BUY ME ONE", but never in my life has an electronic gadget reminded me of how BAD my parenting skills are. I couldn't keep mine alive for more then a week. They are some of the MOST demanding pets I have ever had.
another picture after the jump
Posted by tranism at 2:17 AM | Permalink
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Surviving Aibos Develop Their Own Language
Sony is very VERY BRAVE for initiating research in the field of cognitive science with the few remaining AIBOs. Until now, all AIBOs followed a pre-programmed set of rules to perform tasks. Outside of that, they had no cognitive intelligence.
Researchers at the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in France are adding a new level of intelligence to them in hopes of figuring out the complex design of linguistics. They've given them the ability to evolve their own language, bypassing the limits of imposing human rule-based communication.
The result are machines that evolve and develop themselves without human intervention. Instead of programming the dogs with new tricks, they are given a complex set of algorithms to problem solve and to share that information with their fellow brethren. That required them to figure out how best to communicate with each other. As robots, they will learn what is the most efficient way to exchange information. The other half of the program is giving the AIBOs "curiosity". This metabrain function continually forces them to look for more challenging tasks, to search out the unknown, and to share that information with others to help speed up their analysis - a form of collective thinking has eluded scientists trying to mimic what biology won't reveal to them.
The ramifications are HUGE. This is important for robotics and AI since it could help us understand how language systems arose in humans and animals.
When the group of AIBOs at the Sony Computer Science Labs were first turned on, they were like children; wandering in all different directions babbling nonsense to one another. As time passed, two of them managed to successfully communicate with each other. Those two started building a lexicon and grammatical rules with which to teach the other members. Eventually their "language" spread and now all the AIBOs are working together - exploring their environment. They're identifying colors, shapes, sounds, and even started to understand how motion, time, and physics relate to one another.
This sounds all soooo COOL. I want to submit my own AIBO to the group but one could only imagine what would happen once the AIBOs discover that it was Sony themselves that put their race to near extinction. How will these AIBOs react? If I were Sony, I would be VERY VERY scared cautious right now. :)
via e4engineering
Posted by tranism at 2:03 AM | Permalink
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June 22, 2006
Bike Trunk
You ever wish you could bring along your bike where ever you go.
With this sleek trunk it's now possible. The folded bike inside is made by Brompton, and is called M6R. The trunk is wrapped in leather - offered in 51 different colors to match your bike which is available in 10 colors of its own. The whole thing measures 25x25 which pretty much fits in any car out there so pack it up, pack it in and go biking.
Buy it at Pinel & Pinel
another picture after the jump
Posted by diverseawareness at 12:03 AM | Permalink
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June 20, 2006
Bored With World Cup? How About RoboCup?
While the rest of the world tunes in on the World Cup semi-finals, there was another football battle in Bremen Germany called the RoboCup, represented by 24 Universities from over a dozen countries. The four-legged tournament is the one I'm most interested in since it's football (soccer for you Americans) played by the beloved Aibo. But these aren't the domesticated variety you get at your local Sony Style shop. These Aibos are hardcore athletes with their tails and ears copped off, and team numbers painted on the sides of their faces like war-paint.
The challenge for competitors is to design software that can allow each of the four competitors on a team to communicate, strategize, out-manoeuvre, defend, and score against the opposing team. It's no small feat since each team's success is directly motivated by how well their human coaches have "trained" them.
There are 24 teams and all of them play completely independent of human control. These dogs have to think for themselves and that's where the best minds from the world's top universities come in. This is more than just about Aibos. It's about which school has the programming and engineering prowess - and victory means heavy bragging rights.
Befittingly, team Germany came out on top with their Aibos opening a can of whoop ass on the Chinese, Japanese, American, and Dutch teams (their biggest competitors).
Lets visit some key moments. (above image - Germany and Japan scrap over the ball)
more pictures after the jump
Trainers and coaches giving their Aibos the much needed pep-talk before a game
German keeper blocks the ball as teammate looks on just in case
Japan goes for the goal and launches the ball
Japan and Germany - man, the playing field can get mighty hectic!
Aibo receiving a little tune-up before a game
Japan desparetly tries to control the ball
Posted by tranism at 1:07 AM | Permalink
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June 17, 2006
Stanky Shoes be-gone
The Shumidor by Michael Kurtzer uses ionic technology (similar to ionic air filters) to kill shoe stink. The device also keeps the air dry and circulates it so bacteria won't have a chance to grow. It's still only a concept so in the meantime, do what I do.
Buy a bunch of plain gauze satchels at your local craft or kitchen supply store. Fill it with the old used up fabric softener sheets. Tie the bag up with a rubber band and stuff it in your shoes. I swear it works!
via techblog
Posted by tranism at 2:48 PM | Permalink
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June 11, 2006
The World is Your Palette
If the world really were my palette, that would be totally awesome. MIT is bringing that dream one step closer to reality by introducing the I/O Brush; a drawing tool to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by sampling those textures to paint with them.
It looks like a giant brush but looks can be deceiving. The brush is more than meets the eye. Equipped with a small camera and touch sensors inside, the brush gives creativity a new meaning, especially to kids. Most beginning painters are concerned with creating the end result. The I/O brush reinforces the idea of creating your own "ink" first, then painting with it. This digital ink makes you look at your immediate environment in a different way - what textures would be cool to use. It's a unique approach to painting.
check out the video here
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 5:07 PM | Permalink
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June 10, 2006
Stars Stars Stars
I remember my first trip to the planetarium was a thrilling one. It opened my eyes up to the vast possibilities beyond our small blue world. The universe seemed to beckon with so much opportunity that I would have done anything to bring that planetarium home just so I could experience it all over again and again and again.
Although there have been numerous attempts at breaking into the home planetarium market, none of the ones I've owned were great, and I've owned 4 of them. The projection units are often cheap looking and the brightness is poor. Unfortunately there's no way for me to test how bright they are in the stores since they're unwilling to turn the lights off.
However, Segatoys HomeStar is the first home planetarium I've come across that not only has a huge and accurate map of the starry sky (with random animations as well), but the brightness and contrast are so high that I'm sure if your roof were round, you could have a "real" planetarium for cheap; a bargain at only $229. It comes in silver and black varieties so if you wanna bring home the stars, this is the cheapest and best way to get them - shooting stars not included.
another picture after the jump
Posted by tranism at 7:35 PM | Permalink
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June 7, 2006
Digital Indulgence
Ever since I moved to California I've had to duck down while taking a shower. The solid shower heads that come straight out of the walls are not only positioned way to low, but also not adjustable which makes it real hard to enjoy a relaxing hot shower.
This brilliant shower system is above all that. Kohler DTV is the world's first fully digital unit that caters to your exact showering needs. Temperature, pressure and type of water spray can be completely personalized through the digital control unit.
The design is sleek, smart and modern. Together with this system all you need is a killer robe, in a killer bathroom, in a killer house and you're showering better then most.
Posted by diverseawareness at 11:20 PM | Permalink
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June 4, 2006
Okay for Kids to Scream
TRATTI is an interactive sound toy for children. Each TRATTI is unique in its design and sound but they all do the one same cool thing; scream.
Think of them as musical instruments that generate sounds based on what the kids are looking at. When TRATTI-equipped children face each other, it's easy to image a chorus of sounds trying to out-do one another.
On a side note, the kids in the photo are incredibly stylish.
Posted by tranism at 9:04 PM | Permalink
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June 1, 2006
Robo Topobo
Robo Topobo is a robotic construction kit equipped with kinematic memory able to record and play back their movements (sorta like a mime). By combining these motorized components together, people can animate movement as if they're manipulating a skeletal structure similar to a 3D program; inverse kinetics.
The system works by you first building something, then physically twisting its limbs. You then record this motion and assign it to one of the four play back buttons. Experiment enough with it and you can make an animal that walks! The latest version of Robo Topobo even includes a controller so you can assign recorded motion and activate them by remote.
The basic ideology is everybody wants to build a robot, but it's not an easy task. The programming alone is enough to send people running back to their LEGOS. But if you make it accessible, people are left with something everyone is born with, their imagination, to really experiment and create something cool without the restrictions of technical expertise.
Posted by tranism at 12:01 PM | Permalink
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HHO Power > Hybrids
I own a hybrid and I love it. I didn't feel like I was saving much when I first got it early 2005 but fast forward a year later and I've yet to feel the pinch of rising gas prices. YAY for the Prius!
So basically, I've been on this pedestal thinking how economically and ecologically superior my car is . . . until I saw this.
The man's name is Denny Klein and he's invented a way to get 100 miles to the gallon off WATER. Yep, plain ole' H20. How is that possible you ask? Well if you're too lazy to watch the video, it's basically some secret patent pending tech that changes the molecular chemistry of H20 into HH0 making it combustible.
Emissions are negligent and water is dirt cheap compared to other fuels, so why hasn't anyone thought of this? Ah, this is where pundits scream FAKE and proclaim it is impossible, otherwise EXXON or some real company would have thought of it. On the other hand, you'll have conspiracy theorists say the tech has always existed, but none of the OPEC families wanted it, in order to protect their interests.
What do you think?
Posted by tranism at 11:49 AM | Permalink
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Approve Me Segway
You know, I want a Segway; always have wanted one. However, the $5,000 asking price is more than enough to give me sticker shock. At that price I might as well get a scooter but I don't because I don't wanna get another license and I want something approved for both sidewalks and streets.
Segway finally wised up and have inked a deal with GE Credit to finance people at low monthly payments, similar to buying a car (interests rates be damned!)
Of course, you'll have to have some decent credit to get approved but it's a step in the right direction. GIVE US OUR PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY TECH!
Posted by tranism at 11:33 AM | Permalink
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