Put simply, the Jinsei Game of Life won\'t let you play the simple game contained inside it unless you exercise. It\'s part pedometer, part Tamagotchi, part Lap Around Japan, and a little bit of masochism mixed in for good measure. To complete the "stages," you must take 300 steps, at which point you\'ll be granted a spin on the wheel to advance your character through the game. Don\'t take the steps and there\'s not really any kind of punishment. You\'ll just have yet another piece of gaudy tchotchke dangling from your keys, and those little people inside will be judging you without remorse. [Takaratomy via Trends in Japan]
Are your coworkers always giving you a hard time about being away from your desk and not knowing where you are? Grab this $27 LED Message Board from Brando and always have a sign showing where you are. Sure, a Post-it or a mini-whiteboard would accomplish the same thing, but are they USB? Do they light up with red dotted letters? Are they that much more hilarious when the words "Fuck off Phil" scroll across their body? We think not. [Brando]
Still smarting from Nintendo\'s half-ass, arm waving train wreck of an E3 press conference? Yeah, these retro Famicom-inspired Classic Controllers for the Wii Virtual Console won\'t help at all with that, but they\'re still a pretty cool collector\'s item. They come in two red and gold Famicom versions, two Wii white versions, and will retail for about $15 apiece when they arrive in Japan on September 10. Import only for now, but that could change drastically in the future, just like Nintendo\'s marketing strategy. [Amazon Japan via Virtual Console Reviews]
This DIY hack does what modders have been doing with NES controllers for years, and then adds an awesome twist. First of all, it\'s a USB controller that lets you play classic Nintendo games on your laptop. The cool part is there\'s an emulator crammed inside the controller and it contains all the software and ROMs you need to have a pretty intense retro Nintendo party all by yourself. So far designer Jay Kaye has made three; how about a couple thousand more?
From the look of the finished result pic below, I was reminded of Club Nintendo SNES Classic Controller (Japan only), and became insanely jealous all over again.
The researchers at Purdue University are just full of bright ideas these days, and this weekend was no exception. Thanks to a major breakthrough, they may have overcome a major obstacle for "solid state lighting," which laymen like to call LED (light emitting diode). That obstacle? Cost. LEDs are expensive, mostly because their innards are created on a substrate of sapphire. That means only a few gadgets and luxury cars headlights have benefited from the tech so far. Purdue researchers solved the conundrum with a technique that creates the LEDs on low-cost, metal-coated silicon wafers. This is great news for energy conservation, because while LEDs are much more efficient than their incandescent brethren, they are also 20 times more expensive to produce. [Purdue University]
Timepiece designer Arny Kapshitzer is a big fan of Star Treck, and that shows in his latest creation, the HMS Automatic Warp Watch. While it won\'t take you Warp 9 anytime soon, it does have a ton of carbon fiber, and the perfluorinated, hypoallergenic rubber wristband is impervious to "all acids." From the sound of that last feature, it looks there\'s a head nod to Ripley in there, too.
There\'s actually a bit more to this space watch than mere looks. AK factored in the natural asymmetry of the human arm, and made the crown side of the watch thicker so it would fit snug. The super rubber that makes up the band is also used to seal the watch, and will last for 50 years, guaranteed.
And lastly, the Star Trek influence (such as it is):
It looks like something straight out of the Star Trek series, uncannily reminiscent of the starship Enterprise. Located eccentrically towards the right of the dial, a cut-away metal piece reveals the jumping hours and minutes on two superimposed discs. The seconds are displayed at 3 o\'clock on a cylinder linked directly to the crown. 9 o\'clock forms the tail of the “spaceship”. Made of the same metal, it bears the name of the watch and is punctuated by a totally off-centre dot, where the brand logo is engraved.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Is Microsoft continuing their SideWinder brand revival—started with a mouse—with the release of a keyboard later this year? Perhaps, but this SideWinder X6 seems to be a pretty interesting keyboard in any case. It\'s got red (perhaps glowing?) keys, a detatchable num-pad, programmable buttons and TWO gigantic knobs on the right. We\'re thinking those knobs will be programmable as well, perhaps to cycle through your weapons or scroll through your iTunes playlist. We\'ll just have to wait until September to see whether or not this $79 keyboard really is the SideWinder. [Pcinpact via Engadget]
Next time you\'re headed to a rave and want some additional protection when things start to heat up, consider throwing a pair of these Rind disposable earplugs alongside that other well-known wallet-based protection. And because these plugs lie flat like a credit card when not in use, there will be no embarrassing ring-shaped mark pushing its way through the leather when it comes time to pay for drinks at the bar. When you\'re done, the plugs collapse and store back in the card, and remain effective for "several months" (instructions below). Try doing that with used latex!
The guys at iPhone Hacks just found a way to take the iPhone Pwnage release yesterday and figure out a roundabout way to get the unlock and jailbreak to work on Windows machines. It\'s only applicable to first-gen iPhones with 2.0, but if you\'re really desperate to get your phone hacked, but not quite desperate enough to get within 10 feet of those "Mac" users, here you go. Not for the uber nooby. [iPhone Hacks]
For those of you who know what a space elevator is, you also know how difficult (some would say impossible) it will be to create one. Well, don\'t tell that to the starry-eyed guys in Redmond this weekend, who are attending the annual Space Elevator Conference 2008. And they have a blog! And in this blog today I found... a working space elevator! Made of Lego blocks! Sadly, it was only a working model, not the real thing, meaning Jesus\' lifelong dream of a Lego space elevator carrying him to a life-sized Lego Galaxy Explorer space ship is postponed, indefinitely.
If the PlayStation 3\'s Eye of Judgment ever got drunk and made some bad decisions in Tokyo\'s nefarious Kabukicho district, the resulting offspring would probably resemble this Cyber-Maid Augmented Reality device from Geisha Tokyo Entertainment. The "Dennoh Figure ARis" (Cyber Figure Alice), on sale this fall, will come with all manner up alternate reality upskirts, strip teases and "augmented" promiscuity. And yes, because you asked, it comes with a virtual poker.
Alice comes with two marked cubes and two similarly marked sticks. Using a webcam to track the cubes and sticks, the software displays your personal maid onscreen. You can then use the sticks to, well, this is perhaps best said in pictures.
So some jackass hit your parked car and didn\'t leave a note? Who cares! You have GPS and Brickhouse Security\'s Car Camera Voyager Pro on your side to log pretty much all you\'ll need to bust their ass and collect your insurance money. The unit contains a G-sensor that detects fender benders, as well as a camera that captures footage from 10 seconds before, and 30 seconds after the accident. GPS logs where the accident took place, and $445 means it\'s yours when it launches next week. [Brickhouse Security via Engadget]
Forget the opportunistic naming conventions for a moment, and focus on the tech and potential of the iShoe. Designed Erez Lieberman, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, the iShoe could one day help doctors and NASA scientists detect balance problems before a fall occurs. Currently, the iShoe only diagnoses balance issues, but Lieberman theorizes that future versions (iShoe 3G?) will actively correct bad balance with sensory stimulation. If you know anything about falls (300,000 hip fractures per year, 24% over 50 die within one year) or what happens when astronauts return home from space (10 days of wobbly knees), the iShoe couldn\'t come soon enough.
The iShoe actually began life as an experiment Lieberman conducted as an intern at NASA. Astronauts routinely return home with a host of balance issues thanks to the weightlessness of space, so Lieberman and the rest of the iShoe team created a new algorithm that was capable of looking at the pressure distribution of proprioceptors on the feet and analyze what that data meant. Proprioceptors, in case you didn\'t know, are sensory receptors which tell your brain where body parts are in relation to other body parts and the objects around you.
It took a family emergency to show Lieberman that the iShoe had ramifications beyond just a few drunken astronauts. When Lieberman\'s grandmother had a bad fall, he knew the tech could be used as a "balance diagnostic" to help doctors and their patients prevent falls before they occurred. The device\'s super-sensitive insole would measure the pressure of the foot and report data to the doctor, and in extreme cases an alarm would alert family or care givers to a fall. "Help, I\'ve fallen and I can\'t get up," would be quickly replaced with "Hey, I can walk just fine! Get off my damn lawn." [MIT]
Add this to my “Things to hyperventilate over” list: British police are on the lookout for something called a WASP Knife, a weapon that injects a ball of compressed gas into its victim that then expands to the size of a basketball, instantly freezing and exploding their internal organs. The blade, which was designed to help hunters and divers bring down large wild animals quickly, could possibly be bought on the internet by serial killing-minded crooks. Look at what it does to a watermelon!
The WASP website states “the effects of the compressed gas not only cause overinflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea.” It\'s like a freeze ray out of a superhero movie... Only it\'s real, and thus infinitely scarier. Somebody hold me. [UK Daily Mail via Technabob]
Over the past three years, according to the Washington Post, the Air Force has asked to pull $16.2 million from counter-terrorism funds to build "comfort capsules," sealed rooms installed in large military planes decked out with beds, a couch, 37-inch flat-screen monitor, and other amenities "to reflect the rank of the senior leaders using the capsule." The Project on Government Oversight says that these capsules actually have "no special communications or work capabilities beyond those already available for top officials." And yes, they already have two high-end add-ons for top brass, as well 100 special VIP planes. But they don\'t have swiveling leather chairs custom-designed by top generals.
Just how special are these chairs? It\'s specified that that they must swivel so that "the longitudinal axis of the seat is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft" no matter which direction they\'re facing in. And they\'ve gotta have Air Force blue leather and seat belts. Not brown, according to emails. Changing the seat color only cost $68,240.
Originally, ten of these capsules were ordered, but it\'s been cut to three, plus four Senior Leader Intransit Pallets with those awesome chairs. So, in all, it\'ll only cost $7.6 million. That might seem like a lot, but realize that, in the words of Gen. Robert H. McMahon, the Air Force\'s deputy chief of staff for logistics, they\'re trying to "create an environment that whoever was riding in that would be proud of" and that the "the people of the United States" would be proud of too.
I really don\'t understand why Congress twice told them not use counter-terrorism funds. Those very awesome chairs make me proud to be an American, which means the terrorists fail. [Washington Post via Slashdot]
Scientists are using the power of the web to track and find real disease outbreaks. Every hour, HealthMap, an infectious disease-tracking website, feeds off of news, public health list serves, and the World Health Organization\'s online pages to survey the spread of infections. With help from Google, the program has identified 95 percent of all disease outbreaks, sometimes days before the WHO or international disease control agencies can announce them.
Most recently, HealthMap detected the salmonella outbreak in the U.S., which has sickened over 1,000 people, long before the Center for Disease Control announced that it was happening. By alerting officials and doctors to the most likely diseases in their area, the web tool could help make health care much more efficient and precise. [Discovery]
The iPhone 2.0 Pwnage Tool is now available, weighing in at 19.7MB. It came slightly earlier than expected, but I\'m sure nobody\'s complaining that they can now unlock their iPhones and iPod touches a day early. Grab it on the iPhone Dev Site. It only jailbreaks, not unlocks the iPhone 3G, so you\'ll have to wait a little longer for that one. [iPhone Dev Blog]
Looks like Asus listened to us when we complained about the price of their biggest and best Eee PC yet, the Eee PC 1000H. It\'s been on sale for less than a week, but Newegg\'s already dropped the price by $100. In case that was the only thing preventing you from taking a bite out of Eee, go pick it up now for $549. [Mobile Stylus]
One of the many exciting aspects of The Dark Knight is how the movie incorporated IMAX shots. Friends who watched the film have called the shots absolutely stunning and incredibly immersive; another reason why this is the Best. Movie. Ever. Having yet to see it, I can only sigh wistfully and aggregate information on how it was done. Popular Mechanics has a great write-up of the challenges in shooting with an IMAX camera, including a behind-the-scenes video on how the action came together.
IMAX cameras, which use 70mm film, are much larger and heavier than a traditional 35mm machine. Among the plethora of changes to accommodate IMAX, technicians reinforced gyrostabled remote control camera cranes, crafted sturdier rigs to be mounted on cars, and forced one poor cameraman to actually carry the damn thing on his shoulders in an especially tense S.W.A.T. Team sequence.
When you\'re done checking the video out, head over to Wired (if you haven\'t already) for even more information on Christopher Nolan\'s methods and madness. Helicopters, wrangling with the Chinese government; the making of this movie could be its own movie. [Popular Mechanics]
For DIYers with a lot more technical know-how than cash, an Instructables user has put up a really interesting tutorial on building an electric motorcycle using just $3000. The vehicle has a 70mph top speed, but can only go about 10 miles before it needs to be recharged. It\'s great for a quick trip to the store, if you don\'t make any unexpected stops along the way. With gas prices being what they are, you should probably try to make it so everything you would normally need to get to is less than 10 miles away anyhow. [Instructables via Uberreview]
With all the advances in technology we\'ve had over the last couple of decades, you\'d think that something as simple as changing your land line number into a cellular one would take hours at most. At least Congress does, and its now urging the FCC to put rules in place that will speed up local number portability processing.
Congress says the rules, which would give a 48-hour time limit for carriers to transfer numbers between each other, are necessary since carriers have been known to delay processing in a bid to throw as many retention offers as they can at customers trying to switch. The FCC seems to agree that it\'s a good idea, but was ambivalent as always about when it\'d get around to implementing new regulations. [DSLreports]
The iPhone Dev hints rather strongly on their official blog that the much anticipated Pwnage tool that\'ll jailbreak phones running the 2.0 software so you can install unofficial apps alongside those from the App store will be released tomorrow. Usually I hate Sundays, but apparently not tomorrow. UPDATE: Nevermind, it\'s out.[iPhone Dev Team Blog]
After he left Microsoft, Satoshi Nakajima, the lead architect of Windows 95 and a "defining force" in the creation of Internet Explorer 3.0, wanted to understand why people were so into Apple. He picked up a Mac two years ago and decided he\'d never use a PC again. Now his company, Big Canvas, develops apps for the iPhone. Their first app for the iPhone, PhotoShare, isn\'t bad, but it\'s another photo service to sign up for, and we just wanna use Flickr, damn it.
Still, he has some interesting thoughts on the mobile market, like there\'s "no business reason" to develop for Android and that "Apple has proved that having a single app store does make sense to users as well as the offerers, so I believe Microsoft, Nokia and possibly Google will follow and we’ll have five stores, and that’s ideal."
Google has already announced that there will be an app store for Android, so that\'s at least two in the game (and I think he\'s right about the others). Check out the full interview over at Cult of Mac. [Cult of Mac, PhotoShare]
Sometimes I pick up my phone and say to myself “Gee, this communication device just isn\'t cryptic enough. It\'s too user friendly and not enough like a puzzle out of the Da Vinci Code.” Apparently designer Marc Schömann was listening in, because he\'s now created a baton style mobile that forces you to twist sections of it to make calls.
The phone has no display and no buttons, and uses haptic feedback—though it\'s not really clear for what. Line up the number you\'re trying to dial on twelve numbered sections and then twist the top until an LED turns green to make the call. Par for the course with its cryptic design, the phone is unnamed. I can\'t wait to show this to my buddies at the Secret Society of Utterly Useless Gadgets. [Yanko Design]
European researchers are developing a software that will give robots the power to learn when a person is sad, happy or angry. The Feelix Growing project is putting together simple robots that can detect different parameters—facial expressions, voice and proximity—to determine emotional states. The aim of the project is to develop a robot that can serve humans with special needs, such as the ill and the elderly. Using adaptable neural networks, the robot can learn the correct way to respond to people\'s emotions from experience.
For instance, if someone shows fear, the robot can learn to change its behavior to appear less threatening. If someone seems happy, the robot can make a mental (or, I guess, digital) note of what brought on that response. And if someone seems upset and lonely, the robot can give her a pat on the back, offer her a stiff drink and say "Elaine, you deserved someone better than that dickwad anyhow."
I, for one, welcome our new emotionally adept overlords. [Physorg]
Not looking so good on the Psystar front. Following Apple\'s inevitable lawsuit and demand that every Mac clone be recalled, apparently their HQ is on the market and "priced for quick sale" by owners Constructora Canahuati. "Find new headquarters" is a hell of an addition to an already busy to-do list. [Yahoo!, Thanks Sean!]
If you Google "iPhone apps," the first thing that comes up is iPhoneApps.org, a site selling a bundle of "top 10" iPhone applications for $25 using "safe PayPal." Friends, there\'s nothing safe about this site. It\'s a scam. The iTunes App Store is the exclusive distributor of official iPhone apps, period. Don\'t get your apps anywhere else. Tell your friends and family. If you\'re savvy enough to use Installer.app, this PSA is not for you, obviously (I mean, you know you can get all this stuff for free, right?). [Thanks Blake!]
Apple TV\'s onscreen keyboard is an exercise in stress management, especially with its morsel of a remote. Not pimped by Apple is that the iPhone\'s Remote app solves this by presenting the iPhone\'s keyboard anytime you need to type and would otherwise pop a blood vessel, like when you\'re searching for "Jay and Seth Vs. the Apocalypse" on YouTube or plumbing through iTunes. Handy for the weekend, no? [Daring Fireball via Mac Rumors]
Little girls in Japan will get their chance today to act out their fantasies of being American corporate tools, thanks to Bandai\'s new mobile communicator “Smart Berry” toy, which kind of looks like a Mylo done up in pastel colors. The Smart Berry includes a touchscreen LCD panel measuring roughly 2 inches by 1.4 inches, a slide- out keyboard, and Wi-Fi capabilities for email, chat and online games.
The device registers user profiles so that Smart Berry owners can only send and receive mail from friends. Up to four units can communicate with each other at the same time if they\'re all within a 10-meter diameter. Additionally, it also has a virtual Tamagotchi-like pet you can play with. The toy costs $97 and is targeted at girls from ages 6 to 9. Boys who want to send emails on a faux-mobile device while raising their own virtual pet are SOL this time around, I guess. [Tech On]
These photos, taken from a Flickr set, show what appears to be some sort of crashed spacecraft in London\'s Potters Field. They offer no explanation as to what\'s going on over there across the pond. Do any of you know what this is? Movie shoot? Publicity stunt? Photoshoppery? Actual alien invasion? Let\'s hear your guesses, both educated and uneducated, in the comments. Update: It\'s an ad for a new car. Boo. [Flickr via NotCot]
Next time you\'re headed to a rave and want some additional protection when things start to heat up, consider throwing a pair of these Rind disposable earplugs alongside that other well-known wallet-based protection. And because these plugs lie flat like a credit card when not in use, there will be no embarrassing ring-shaped mark pushing its way through the leather when it comes time to pay for drinks at the bar. When you\'re done, the plugs collapse and store back in the card, and remain effective for "several months" (instructions below). Try doing that with used latex!
