When we shared with you Apple’s acquisition of Liquid Technologies‘ supermaterial, we noted that liquid metal is already in use across a variety of industries, from sports to aerospace. Or, you might find it on the wristwatch you have now.
An interesting guided video through Omega’s manufacturing process illustrates how the company fuses Apple’s new material into the bezel and face of its new watches, creating a gorgeous, durable result. Speculation remains as to whether Apple will use its liquid metal for similarly aesthetic ends, or something more functional.
A new capsule hotel called 9hrs has just opened in Tokyo to improve the conditions and experience traditionally provided by capsule hotel.
In the past capsule hotels have been thought of as ‘ grimy, and primarily intended as expedient sleeping solutions for drunk salarymen who have missed the last train home.’ Check out the video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
Motorola’s latest Android smartphone, the Motorola Droid 2 is now available. The Motorola Droid 2 is available on a two year contract with Verizon Wireless for $199.99, or if you want one year contract the Droid 2 will set you back $269.99, there is also a SIM free version available for $559.99.
The Motorola Droid 2 features 3.7 inch display, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and it comes with the latest version of Google Android, Android 2.2 (Froyo),and support for Adobe’s Flash 10.1. Read the rest of this entry »
Twelve years ago, Professor Kevin Warwick became the world’s first cyborg. Today, at Motherboard he’s holding court on cybernetics, and how if we don’t embrace our cyber upgrade potential, the robots will someday win.
Warwick knows what he’s talking about, not just as the first man to have an RFID implant—letting him turn on lights by snapping his fingers, among other things—but as a Professor of Cybernetics at Reading University. His vision of the future is more of a warning, really; that “someday we’ll switch on that machine, and we won’t be able to switch it off.” We’re in an arms race with machines, so why not upgrade where we can?
It’s fascinating stuff, if a little alarmist. But please don’t tell Dr. Warwick I said that, lest he blast me with the optical laser guns I’m sure he’s equipped himself with.
Google has long championed the ideals of Net Neutrality: the idea that users should have equal access to the internet, and that ISPs (and the government) should not prioritize some traffic over other traffic. But the New York Times is reporting that Google is currently in talks with Verizon to “speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.”
If true, this would directly contradict what Google has been saying on the topic for years. For example, in January, Google’s Rick Whitt said:
“Any entrepreneur with an idea has always been able to create a website and share their ideas globally – without paying extra tolls to have their content seen by other users. … We support… adding a nondiscrimination principle that bans prioritizing Internet traffic based on the ownership (the who), the source (the what) of the content or application.” Read the rest of this entry »
Etsy maker and seller ikymagoo, has created a very unique pair of speakers using PVS plumbing pipes. Each speaker pipe casing houses a 3 inch magnesium/aluminium alloy full range driver with a frequency response of 80-20,000.
The speakers 3 way binding posts are on the back and the bass port on the end of the 1-1/2 pipe/stand. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s small-town Waterloo, Ontario, versus the fearsome United Arab Emirates.
But in recent years, RIM has shown its thick skin, and once again, the Canadian Blackberry maker displays stubborn intolerance. The UAE, which covers seven Arab states, has stated that it will shut down several Blackberry services this fall, should RIM not comply with its conditions, which include allowing local authorities to monitor communication on RIM’s devices.
UAE’s threat has been met with much opposition, even outside of RIM: a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department recently told The Globe and Mail they were “disappointing,” stating that “it’s not about the Canadian company, it’s about what we think is an important element of human rights … and the free flow of information.” Read the rest of this entry »
Part of a healthy diet often involves eating just the right portions, but for most of us who aren’t too scientifically inclined, how do we carve out the correct amount to put into our mouths on a daily basis? Well, the Perfect Portions Scale hopes to help, functioning as your in-house Nutrition 101 device. This is a combination device that brings together a food scale as well as a nutritional calculator, featuring an integrated database of 1,999 different foods alongside the added ability to hold another 99 custom entries – perfect just as well, since different countries have different, quirky foods which isn’t available universally. All you need to do is zero the scale, drop down your food and press in the correct food code for the scale to have an idea on what it is measuring. When its processor does the job, all nutritional stats alongside the total weight will be shown on an LCD display which looks just like the Nutrition Facts labels available on today’s food packaging. For $59.99 a pop, it sure does sound like a good and affordable investment.
The first thing you have to learn to do as a parent is to blow up random objects. Actually, you might want to start practicing before you have kids to work those lungs out a little. You can’t afford to not be prepared for these sorts of things. Those of you that had blow-up chairs in high school will have a small amount of an edge. The rest of you though need to really get to working on this sort of thing. Of course for this particular blow-up crib they were nice enough to include a pump. Don’t let that make you think you can get lazy though, there will come a day when you’re stuck blowing up a whole assembly line of pool toys.
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