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Flash Friday: Red Storm 2

Nick Upton — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:24:12 +0000

Mechs? Check. Guns? Check. Lasers? Check. Afternoon lost to a Flash game? Check.

I like working and doing productive things as much as the next person — that’s why I’ve been playing Red Storm 2: Survival all day.

It’s nothing complicated: you walk around with the WASD keys and blast stuff with the mouse. It gets a little depth from the leveling-up, RPG element, allowing you bigger weapons with each level. But mostly, you’ll be blowing stuff up and dodging bullets until you can buy a sweet new laser or missile launcher.

Three different mechs with multiple turrets and many weapons and upgrades give you the option for a slew of different setups, but I went right for lasers and stuck with it.

I’d tell you more, but if you managed to read beyond mechs and lasers, you’re a better person than I. So stop reading and start wasting time.

Go play Red Storm 2: Survival at Elite Games and get ready to trade some productivity for some much more satisfying explosions.

Flash Friday: Dragon Age Journeys

Nick Upton — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:17:36 +0000

T to the G to I and the F — it’s Friday folks, finally.

So what are you going to do to kill time this weekend? I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, play this sweet Flash game again.

Flash games are seriously lacking in good RPGs and tactical games, but Dragon Age: Journeys does both near flawlessly.

The game launched in anticipation of Dragon Age: Origins and captures that gruesome, adult and sometimes challenging spirit of the game very well.

Basically, you’re some guy or girl on some fantasy quest — I don’t want to spoil it and couldn’t if I wanted to (I skipped all the story like a real man). And lo and behold some glowing badass attacks you and sends you fleeing to town.

From there, you have to assemble a party kill monsters and do quests until your strong enough to face the glowing badass again. The whole thing is a straight forward Mage, Rogue, Warrior fantasy game, but it’s executed very well.

The combat is incredibly fun, it’s set up on a tactical map. You have to move around to dodge arrow and long-range spells and keep in range of your healer. There are a ton of area-effect abilities and spells to keep you corralling the baddies and really thinking about strategy.

There are several different types of monsters to slay and tons of equipment to find and buy.

It’s not incredibly long, which is probably a good thing, but long enough to be engrossing. The first time I played it, I zoned out at work for two days to beat it — oops.

After beating it and completing achievements, you can unlock items for Dragon Age: Origins.

It also has the most depth I’ve experienced in a Flash game, not only does each class have it’s own play style and features, but each specialization does too. This means a ton of re-playability to play around with the sweetest spells and skills.

But hey, you’ve already wasted enough time reading this, go play Dragon Age: Journeys: now.

Demolition Robot: 2 Tons Of Smashing, Crushing Fun

Nick Upton — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:26:49 +0000

I have just destroyed my Christmas list with my measly one-ton demolition bot. I’m all about this two-ton beauty from Husqvarna — it’s Swiss, not misspelled.

The new remote-controlled demolition robot from Husqvarna®, the DXR 310, is the very latest in compact demolition robot technology. High power, low weight and functional design make it an obvious choice for consumers who want a highly maneuverable, super-strong and sturdy machine with a long reach.
The remote control for the DXR 310 features a unique user-friendly and well-considered design, unlike anything on the market.

Our product knowledge, combined with experience, know-how and global presence mean you now have the choice of a demolition robot with highly accessible and ¬competent service and support.

I can just imagine showing up to a party riding on this bad boy, all the chicks would go crazy. It’s like a Lamborghini with a jackhammer on the front.

I’m not exactly sure what I would do with it beyond that, it can’t move that fast, so a quick bank robbery is going to be tricky and I’ve already destroyed all the cars in my yard — but I’m sure I could find something to demolish.

[Via MAKE]

Science + Art + Mutants = Sweet!

Nick Upton — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:11:43 +0000

A Swiss artist embarked into the nuclear wasteland surrounding power plants and came back with some lovely water colors.

Scientific illustrator Cornelia Hesse-Honegger details these minute mutations in the so-called true bugs she collects near nuclear facilities and areas of chemical contamination.

True bugs don’t travel far, and they “suck the liquid from the plants they live on,” she says. “So if the plant is contaminated, they take a lot of radioactivity into their bodies.”

It’s pretty amazing to see what kind of mutations can pop up even at a well-maintained nuclear facility — especially in such nice painting.

It makes me wonder what that runoff is doing to humans downstream.

Head over to Wired for the whole army of mutant insects.

Flash Friday: Crush The Castle!

Nick Upton — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:56:08 +0000

This may be the best Flash game ever, well at least the most satisfying one I have played in a very, very long time.

It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s sometimes a challenge and who can argue with crushing stuff with a catapult?

Here’s the premise: smash castles with rocks and bombs and get medals. I know, it’s my dream job too.

I didn’t play the original, only the player-made sequel, but it was fantastic.

At the beginning, you have a big map to conquer, and with each territory you crush, you get new ammo for your catapult. You start with a single or triple rock, go on to big rocks, little bombs then finally a single huge bomb.

And for you hardcore Flash gamers, don’t bother going for gold on every level with your crummy little rocks. Once you get the big bomb you can return to all those castles that robbed you of a perfect score and bomb the crap out of them.

I must say returning to the earlier levels with the big bomb made me giggle with glee.

Play Crush The Castle: Players Pack or the original Crush The Castle over at Armored Games.

Printing On Walls With A Paint-Ball Auto Cannon

Nick Upton — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:10:54 +0000

Some crafty Germans used their love of guns and efficiency to create an autonomous robot that paints with paintballs.

The Facadeprinter is a simple, software controlled robot. It consits of a two axis turn table and an airpressure printhead. The printer shoots the artwork from a distanced position dot by dot onto the chosen area.

According to this method inaccessible and also uneven surfaces can be printed on. Buildings can be displayed without costly scaffolding.

The people behind the Facadeprinter really push how efficient it is to put up billboards or art on any wall without actually painting.

At five paintballs per a second, the Facadeprinter can put a massive 8 meter dot image on a wall in no time.
Designed by Sonice Development GmbH, the printer can only print one color, but as the video shows, it’s easy to load up another hopper for multicolored projects.

Check out the Facadeprinter site for a huge collection of works and more information.

[Via MAKE]

Why Are Space Strawberries A Thing We’re Talking About?

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:00:19 +0000

In today’s edition of, “Why Is This A Thing We’re Talking About?”, we take a look at Space Strawberries, which is now a thing that we are apparently talking about.

Why are we talking about this thing? Well, PopSci reports that the Seascape Strawberry Plant can produce strawberries with as little as 10 hours of light a day, which is important, as interstellar grow lights consume lots of power – the shorter the amount of light they need, the better. The Seascape also produces gigantic berries, large enough to satisfy even the fattest of astronauts.

Finally, these plants produce berries up to six months after flowering, meaning long periods of berry growth for our brave astromen.

PopSci reports that lettuce, radishes and tomatoes are all likely to be on the interstellar menu, due to their hearty ability to grow in space. Will strawberries be amongst those disgusting, boring plants? Only time will tell. But yes, yes they will.

This is Asterios Kokkinos, for “Why Is This A Thing We’re Talking About?”

Source & Photo Source: PopSci

Flash Friday: Dungeons & Dungeons

Nick Upton — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:03:22 +0000

Looking for a more adult flash game to get your kink on at work? Well look no further, this week’s Flash Friday game is Dungeons & Dungeons.

Think Castlevania, but instead of Simon whipping skeletons, you play the part of a dominatrix whipping perverts. It’s a good take on the side-scrolling action game with a good dose of hilarity.

As the game goes on, you collect special weapons that turn your slave into a flying machine (via a feather in his butt) or a giant yo-yo with your whip.

The best part is the sound from the bad guys. Every time you hit them they say something like “oh, yeah,” or “I like that.” It’s quite a classy game, and probably NSFW unless you turn the sound way down and make sure nobody is looking over your shoulder.

[Via Adult Swim]

Black Wii Coming May 9

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:56:33 +0000

Do you have a Wii? You do, huh? Well, do you have a black one? No? Better get on that. Nintendo’s living room-dominating Wii will be available in black starting May 9. The new bundle will be priced at $200, the same price as the current white Wii. However, the new edition will come with both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, as well as a Wii Remote with the Wii Motion Plus add-on and Nunchuck. If you’re one of the nine people who doesn’t yet have a Wii, this is the bundle we’d recommend.

Giant Space Hand!

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:21:26 +0000

The hand of God? An alien breaching the walls of our galaxy? The giant space hand you see here is actually pulsar PSR b1509-58.This neutron star spins seven times per second and is relatively young by pulsar standards – the light of the supernova that caused it would have first reached our planet about 1,700 years ago.

The Space Hand is located about 17,000 light years away from the constellation Circinus and is approximately 100 light years long. According to NASA, the “low energy X-rays are in red, medium energies in green, and high energies in blue. The pulsar itself is in the bright central region.”

Source: NASA via Gizmodo

Flash Friday: Paper Warfare

Nick Upton — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:14:51 +0000

It’s Friday! You may as well stop working immediately and start playing video games — everyone knows you just stare at your computer clock until 5 p.m. anyway.

This week’s game is Paper Warfare.

Paper Warfare is a standard horizontal shooter, but unlike so many other flash shooters, the difficulty ramps up pretty quick, making for some intense shooter action early in the game. I know you don’t have time to play ALL day, so get to the action quick right?

You can choose from three different flying exo-suits and you get a new destructive weapon every level. And you’ll need all you can since the enemies come by the boatload.

Ikaruga fans, this is a flash game for you — the boss battles call for some extreme bullet dodging.

[Via Paper Warfare]

Japanese Coop Making Humanoid Moon Robot

Nick Upton — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:47:15 +0000

A group of Japanese manufacturers are getting together to build a a bipedal, moon-faring robot.

Now I’m not sure if the endeavor will produce a sassy Futurama-esque robot or a sad Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy version, but I’m really hoping of the former. I am sure, however, that the Japanese coop named Astro-Technology SOHLA will include a sweet laser sword — it is the land of anime after all.

The coop is looking to do the build the robot on the cheap too. They estimate they can complete the project with just $10 million. Doesn’t sound cheap? The Spirit and Opportunity mission set us back a total of $820 million.

Sure that was Mars, but this is a F&$%ING robot!

The group also stated that they hope to have their robot, which they will name Maido-kun, hitch a ride to the moon with a robotic surveying rover that the Japan’s Aerospace Agency is looking to launch as soon as 2015.

The Yomiuri noted that JAXA’s team had considered a bipedal robot, but passed on the idea due to technical difficulties with the sandy moon surface. In response to such thought, SOHLA President Hideo Sugimoto stated, “It’s easier to encapsulate romanticism or enthusiasm with a robot that is similar in shape to humans. We want to build a robot that has the appeal of entrusting the dream of going to space.”

It sure is romantic, it really gets me thinking about the real future of space travel. With the Space Plane launching just a week ago, and now a robot, space exploration doesn’t seem as dangerous.

Hypothetically, we could send these space planes and walking robots running willy-nilly all over the galaxy. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about the grim but imminent prospect of human space deaths.

These robots could plunk down on Mars and start building astronaut housing or take that trip to an asteroid that President Barack Obama has been talking about sans all the danger.

I just hope there is an easy-to-find off switch when the robot goes crazy and stalks our astronauts on the moon or mars.

[Via Slashdot]

Nation’s Newest Stadium Declared “Green”

J. Matthew Zoss — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:30:57 +0000

Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, has been declared a “green” building.

At a press conference on April 8, the Minnesota Twins announced that Target Field has earned LEED certification status, which stands for Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design. The internationally recognized LEED organization rates architecture projects based on energy savings, water efficiency, carbon-dioxide emissions reduction and indoor environmental quality.

A major component in Target Field’s environmental considerations is its water system, which captures and uses rainwater for irrigation. The water system, which we first reported on here, is the first of its kind for a sports facility.

The first official game at Target Field is scheduled for April 12.

Source: Star Tribune

Camera Allows You To See WiFi

Nick Upton — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:21:03 +0000

Panoramic Wifi Camera from Adam Somlai-Fischer on Vimeo.

I am never surprised by the insane things people make, but this “camera” is pretty amazing.

Essentially, the camera can take pictures of the radio spectrum by spotting the varying intensities within the spectrum. The pictures come out looking like a copy from a broken printer, but the it’s the principle people, the principle!

With the camera we can take real time “photos” of wifi (and we’re working towards having video too). These show how our physical structures are illuminated by this particular electromagnetic phenomenon and we are even able to see the shadows that our bodies cast within such “hertzian” spaces.

…

We do this basically by pointing a wifi antenna (or several antennas) and measuring the signal strength throughout a view – the faster we can do this, the faster we can create full-screen images.

The machine also gives a good glimpse at the inundation of these waves that blast us every day from our routers, microwaves and the radio. I’m not saying go out and get a tinfoil hat, but at least some tinfoil underwear.

The machine has the added benefit of looking like something out of steampunk villain’s workshop.

[Via Make Magazine]

Star Wars: Air Force Launches Robotic Space Plane

Nick Upton — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:28:47 +0000

Holy crap! Let the Star Wars begin!

The Air Force launched an unmanned “space plane” into Earth’s orbit.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle took it’s inaugural flight on an Atlast 5 rocket. The Air Force said the launch was successful, but didn’t say much more.

They haven’t said how long the mission will last or what experiments they would be doing beyond testing the craft.

“The top priority technology demonstration on this first flight is the vehicle itself,” Gary Payton, the US Air Force’s deputy under secretary for space programs, told journalists on a teleconference this week.

“Getting it into orbit, getting the payload bay doors open, the solar array deployed, learning about on-orbit attitude control and bringing it all back.”

OK, so the Star Wars might be a little far off. But what an eerie step. I cannot wait to see how long the craft can stay in space. The solar array suggests that it could be a longer stay in space than a simple plane in space. It would be the ideal craft for pre-loaded experiments — just send it up and wait for a while. This could mean cheaper science without crowding the always-cramped manned shuttles.

An Air Force statement made the launch sound more dubious than this science fun time though.

“This launch helps ensure that our warfighters will be provided the capabilities they need in the future,” said Col. Andre Lovett, vice commander of the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing, in a statement.

I wonder if we’ll see a similar spacecraft from China, Russia or India soon.

[Via BBC]

Multitouch Floor Lets You Dance With Your Apps

Nick Upton — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

A really cool project out of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute puts multitouch under foot.

The project isn’t just a toe pointing game, but it tracks feet completely, allowing people to be read by the soles of their shoe and where and how they are stepping.

We based our design on frustrated total internal reflection because its ability to sense pressure allows the device to see users’ soles when applied to a floor. We demonstrate how this allows us to recognize foot postures and to identify users.

These two functions form the basis of our system. They allow the floor to ignore inactive users, identify and track users based on their shoes, enable high-precision interaction, invoke menus, as well as track heads and allow users to control several multiple degrees of freedom by balancing their feet.

The possibilities for this type of technology could be limitless, even a little floor mat could tune to your favorite radio station, fire up your show on the DVR or start your nightly routine in any way you wish.

And with different settings for the whole family, you can tweak it into infinity.

Sure it’s a concept and I’ll probably never have one, but for multitouch — it’s certainly an interesting step.

[Via Hasso Plattner Institute]

Flash Friday: Red Remover

Nick Upton — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:04:13 +0000

Friday is here, that means you’re going to need some video games for the weekend!

This week’s game is Red Remover, it’s not new, it’s not heart pumping, but wow is it fun — and extremely addictive.

The clever puzzle flash game pits you against gravity. All you have to do is remove all the red blocks and circles; hence the name.

Sounds lame? Try it. I made the mistake of playing this at work once, and when I looked at the clock an hour had passed and I had nothing to show for it but a few less red on my screen.

The game is great fun, and the bonus mode and extras you can unlock will keep you coming back. Red Remover also has the best cookie support I’ve seen in a flash game. I come back and my saved game is right there waiting for me.

Check out Red Remover at The Game Homepage and say goodbye to a few hours.

12% Of People Are Immune To 3-D Effects

Nick Upton — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:43:57 +0000

If you’re not wowed by the new rash of 3-D movies, there is a chance you are immune to the stereoscopic effect of the movies.

One man disgruntled by the lack of “wow” he got from 3-D movies set out to see if he was just a curmudgeon or if he really wasn’t seeing the same thing.

He found that he was among the small fraction of people upon which 3-D effects simply don’t work. These people, sadly, are wasting the premium ticket price because their eyes aren’t working in tandem like they should.

To get the benefit of 3D and have normal depth perception, stereovision (otherwise known as binocular vision) is needed with two eyes that work together simultaneously as a coordinated team.

At least 12% of people have some type of problem with their binocular vision but less than five percent have severe visual disabilities, making appreciation of 3D tricky or impossible.

[Via Shadowlocked]

Swedish Table Folds Like A Map

Nick Upton — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:37:40 +0000

A pair of Swedish designers came up with a fascinating table design, one that folds and entire dinner table to something that can fit in a corner.

Grand Central is an innovative expandable table that transforms from space-saving occasional table to the central piece of the room.

The tabletop is divided into 22 pieces that folds out in a spectacular way through its advanced construction — dramatic and poetic at the same time.

The inspiration comes from a pop-up map of New York.

I’ve stared and stared and can’t see to find hinges or anything holding it together — so I assume Swedish magic is at work here.

[Via Grand Central]

Adobe Exports Flash Animation To HTML5

Nick Upton — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:05:00 +0000

[Go to 4:00 for the good stuff]

It could be a deciding moment in the Flash wars that have inflamed internet users for so long, but Flash animation has successfully been dropped into HTML5.

Adobe’s export tools deliver a snippet of code for web designers to simply drop into their design — allowing all those devices that can’t run flash to see all the annoying Flash banners they want.

This is a great step and could mean all those great little Flash puzzle games and news interactive will find their way to the iPad, and all the other mobile devices that simply don’t run Flash.

The functionality will come along with the new version of Flash, CS5, when it launches.

[Via 9to5Mac]

Microsoft Kin Unveiled — Looks Sleek, Social

Nick Upton — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:07:07 +0000

Microsoft unveiled the new UI for a pair of new phones, the Kin and Kin Two, and it is designed especially for the social phone user.

All those Facebook and Twitter updates come right into your contact list and directly to the home screen. It’s nothing new, but it is certainly streamlined and very stylish.

I’d like to see how it actually runs, since I’m forever a skeptic about new devices and how they actually run. Everything looks slick now, but after eating through the memory with pictures, apps and texting, I want to see if it really is that quick.

The Kin does have a few really cool features that Microsoft has clearly been working on for a long time.

The Kin Spot looks like a great little perk for getting all your media everywhere you want it with a simple drag and drop motion. It’s like a clipboard for everything and something that should be on every touch device out there, no more awkward copying and pasting via touch screen anymore.

The coolest thing, however, is the Kin Studio, it’s basically a user’s own personal social cloud that holds all their social dealings right on the site. It solves the old problem of trying to remember the where your saw that cool link or crazy picture while sifting through all your social sites, texts and e-mails.

It’s also a spot to manage all that content on a real computer instead of forcing you to tab through all your applications, contacts etc. on your phone.

Check out the Microsoft King video in it’s entirety below — if you’ve got a half hour to kill.

[Via Engadget | Microsoft]

Driving Like A Video Game Is ‘F—ing Hard’

Nick Upton — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:29:35 +0000

The people over at Kotaku put together this great video about driving from the third person perspective — and it looks like it’s a lot harder than it looks.

This is an aspect of video games that was long overdue for the Mythbusters treatment, so, kudos to the geniuses who made it happen.

After mounting the camera on a Z-bar hitched to the truck’s bumper, they then blacked out the windows so that the driver was forced to use the third-person perspective.

God are they driving slow. And still hitting the traffic cones and inflatable pedestrians.

[Via Kotaku]

Seth Green Behind New Star Wars Sitcom, Really

Nick Upton — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:30:08 +0000

Lucasfilm and Seth Green are behind a new animated sitcom, and are going to great lengths to tell everyone that it won’t be bad.

“Let us assure you this isn’t going to suck as much as you think it is,” said Seth Green.

But with Lucasfilm producing the show and “shaping the type of comedy we’re looking for and the look of the show,” one wonders how funny it will be. I’m all for Seth Green making bank off the Star Wars franchise, but I’m not going to get my hopes up for the obscene or outlandish humor from Robot Chicken.

Green’s salesmanship of his show didn’t really pike my interest either.

“We can’t guarantee its excellence, but we’re swinging by the fences,” said Green.

Jennifer Hill, a Daytime Emmy winner for “The Backyardigans” is producing for Lucasfilm.

Hill told Daily Variety the length of the episodes have not been decided, but they will be no longer than half-hours. No network or start date has been set for the laffer.

Todd Grimes (“Back at the Barnyard”) will direct. Brendan Hay (“The Daily Show”) will be the head writer and Lucasfilm expects to hire a staff of up to 10 more writers.

There is no air date or network set yet, but I’ll be watching at least the first episode.

[Via VarietyVariety]

NASA Lets Public Aim Ultra High-Res Camera At Mars

Nick Upton — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:24:57 +0000

NASA took eight ultra-high resolution images of the Martian surface based on public suggestions.

The NASA image gallery hosted smaller versions of the staggering images. Even in three colors the images are simply beastly.

HiRISE is the most powerful camera ever to orbit another planet. It has taken thousands of black-and-white images, and hundreds of color images, since it began science operations in 2006.

A single HiRISE image will often be a multigigabyte image that measures 20,000 pixels by 50,000 pixels, which includes a 4,000-by-50,000 pixel region in three colors. It can take a computer up to three hours to process such an image.

Despite the thousands of pictures already taken, less than 1% of the Martian surface has been imaged, NASA said.

The move is great for NASA and helps space fans feel included in some of the high tech and cloistered missions.

[Via Network World]

Microwave Will Now Fry Brains With TV

Nick Upton — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:27:30 +0000

I usually watch my microwave intently while cooking, if only for the small chance of gaining superpowers from my popcorn or leftover Chinese food.

Dubbed the CastOven, the oven plays a YouTube clip to fit into your cooking time.

I’d like to see if you could choose your videos, I would hate to watch a 2 minute clip of cat grooming tips while my burrito basks in radiation.

[Via MAKE]

Futuristic Tower Taps Into Underground Water

Nick Upton — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:27:15 +0000

This futuristic looking tower is the brain child of Polish firm H3AR hopes to tackle the lack of water and shelter in the desert — all while being locally built and cost effective.

The tower is especially designed for the Darfur region of Sudan, where money and water is scarce.

The design of the building resembles a baobab, the “upside down tree” from the Savanah. It consists of water pumps and a treatment plant. These pumps will take water from the aquifer and then pump it all through the building to heat and cool.

Water will be stored within the core of the building. Building’s users will have access to this water, which would be recycled by the treatment plant.

Beyond just water, the tower is designed to provide a climate controlled community center with a school, a health center and a valuable food storage.

The best part is that the bricks used to build the tower are all locally produced.

[Via World Interior Design Network]

New Torrent Suits Target Some 20,000 Pirates

Nick Upton — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:28:03 +0000

Watch out! There is a new round of torrent hate brewing in the courts and it’s targeting individual movie pirates and big torrent sites alike.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that more than 20,000 individual movie torrent downloaders have been sued in the past few weeks in Washington, DC, federal court for copyright infringement, and another lawsuit targeting 30,000 more torrent downloaders on five more films is forthcoming in what could be a test run that opens up the floodgates to massive litigation against the millions of individuals who use BitTorrent to download movies.

Unlike the RIAA’s blunt approach that saw old ladies in court and students stuck with million dollar fines, the MPAA is walking on eggshells. Instead of targeting individuals for all the movies, songs and games they have pirated, the lawsuits look at an individual movie and rolls all those who pirated the film into the lawsuit.

In a separate lawsuit, ISOHunt looks like it will be forced to shut down.

The founder of popular Bit Torrent site IsoHunt, Gary Fung, has been ordered to remove the .torrent files for all infringing content—an order that could result in the site shutting down.

US District Judge Stephen Wilson issued the order last week after years of back-and-forths over the legality of IsoHunt and Fung’s two other sites (Torrentbox and Podtropolis).

Fung claims he’s still hoping for a more agreeable resolution that won’t result in IsoHunt closing its doors, but for now, things aren’t looking good for the torrent site.

So pirates beware, the new round of torrent hate is focused squarely on movies. So pirate all the music you want while the RIAA tries to figure out what they are doing next.

[Via Ars Technica | Hollywood Reporter]

Magnets Can Scramble Morality Functions

Nick Upton — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:31:12 +0000

Researchers at MIT and Harvard are scrambling morals in the name of science.

Using a powerful magnetic field, scientists from MIT, Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are able to scramble the moral center of the brain, making it more difficult for people to separate innocent intentions from harmful outcomes.

The research could have big implications for not only neuroscientists, but also for judges and juries.

“It’s one thing to ‘know’ that we’ll find morality in the brain,” said Liane Young, a scientist at MIT and co-author of the article. “It’s another to ‘knock out’ that brain area and change people’s moral judgments.”

Researchers had their subjects read stories about morally objectionable characters. After reading the stories, they were asked what they thought about the characters decisions.

One typical story was about a boyfriend who leads his girlfriend across a bridge. In some versions, the boyfriend harmlessly walked his girlfriend across the bridge with no ill effect.

In other cases, the boyfriend intentionally led the girlfriend along so she would break her ankle.

The subjects used a seven point scale — one being forbidden and seven completely permissible — to record whether they through the situation was morally acceptable or not.

When the magnetic field was turned on, the subjects found it harder to interpret the boyfriend’s intent. Without being able to see that, they could only focus on the outcome of the story. So the only thing that affected their judgment was the outcome.

The wave affected only about 15 percent of change in moral judgments, but researchers said the fact that such a high-level function can even be changed with magnets is fascinating.

Lawyers said the research could have implications on brain science and law as well.

“This study, and other recent studies like it, are enabling us to peer into the very brain activity that underlies and enables legal judgments,” said Owen Jones, a professor of law and biology at Vanderbilt University. “Understanding how legal decisions actually work is a potentially important step toward helping decisions be as fair, just and effective as they can be.”

In a conspiracy case, for example, one person might get a lesser sentence because once a crime was committed, they felt remorse. If they couldn’t understand the moral implications or intent before their crime, the crime would go from premeditated to a lesser charge.

[Via Discovery]

Scary Super Soaker Reaches 40 Feet

Nick Upton — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:52:01 +0000

There is apparently a Super Soaker modification community, and from it came this beastly water gun that will no doubt get the police called to your water fight.

The designer opted for the scary black PVC pipe for the cannon; which can reach ranges of 40 feet.

The riot blast is amazing. Actually it is the best riot blast I’ve used yet, as its effective range get past 40 feet. It has also the most kickback.

In the end, this gun is great, but its weight can be annoying.

See details for the brutal water blaster at Super Soaker Central.

Scientists Pimp Out Their Electron Microscope

Nick Upton — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:26:41 +0000

Some scientists have created a brilliant way to get attention for their desktop telescopes.

They are calling for user submissions for their electron microscope.

You can send your own sample at the Aspex Corp Web site.

Check out a bunch of the user submissions below in the image gallery.

Flash Friday: Robot Unicorn Attack

Nick Upton — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:36:51 +0000

It’s been a long week of surfing the internet and watching the clock, you deserve a little break from all that stress.

I’ve been working for hours to find you just the right flash game for this Friday. This week it is Robot Unicorn Attack from Adult Swim. It’s super simple, but incredibly addictive.

So if you’re stuck in a cubicle farm turn down the music (the soundtrack is ridiculous) and practice your alt+tab maneuver.

3D Printer Can Print Entire Buildings

Nick Upton — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:13:59 +0000

It’s like something out of a strategy video game, pumping in resources and waiting for a huge machine to create a building from the ground up.

This isn’t your neighbors 3D Printer.

Enrico Dini, the designer, has big dreams for his printer.

Dini’s machine marks a vital step change from the shoebox-size 3D printing of today, to tomorrow’s ability to print complete structures on site. Although others have been working hard on the prototype, Dini’s machine is ahead of the pack, with the Architectural Association beating several others to get to the first marketable version.

The conceptual leap from modelling to manufacture may seem small, but making it has taken seven years of Dini’s personal endeavour in the face of bankruptcy and, when his ex-wife said she doubted his ability to complete the project, it cost him his marriage.

The brilliant idea creates rock solid material from sand and ink. It first lays down a layer of sand then a layer of ink.

Dini said he wants to use the printer to build houses on the moon or a cathedral. Below is his first printed building — a very small building.

[Via Blueprint Magazine]

Study Shows Accents Trump Race

Nick Upton — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:08:45 +0000

A newly-released study suggest that people pick up on accents when first meeting someone even more than they see race.

Researchers at Harvard University examined “youngsters” to see who they would align with, someone of their own race, or someone with a similar accent. The study, from developmental psychologist Katherine D. Kinzler and colleagues, showed that while babies are racist, they do look past race when accents are involved.

Kinzler and her team showed that an accent is more meaningful than race in signifying whether someone belongs in your social group. Replicating previous research, they found that under silent conditions children chose as potential friends children of the same race.
Yet when the potential friends spoke, white children preferred a black child speaking with a native accent over a white child who spoke English with a foreign accent.

Kinzler’s study focused on a French accent and showed that even though the French-accented English was understandable, youngsters were nearly four times more likely to choose a non-accented friend.

This must change at some point, because put me next to a girl with a French accent and I’ll melt. But the study does bring up some interesting sociological evolution questions, namely that we pick up on accents first because nearby enemies likely looked just like us, but talked with various dialects. Picking up on these accents kept us from danger far more than identifying race — especially where there was only one race for thousands of miles.

[Via Scientific
American ]

Fizzy Liquor Cuts Drunk Time, Cures Hangovers

Nick Upton — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:31:47 +0000

By simply oxygenating alcoholic drinks, scientists have been able to shorten people’s drunkenness and all but cured hangovers.

The reason behind it is that when one drinks, they aren’t getting enough oxygen from their blood. That’s why drinking water while drinking liquor helps keep one from getting hangovers.

The drinks with the added oxygen content sobered people up 20-30 minutes faster, under the influence of the rather potent alcohol they used for the trials. 20% alcohol is around the strength of fortified wine, soju, or a very strong mixed drink, so while shaving a half hour off your drunken tomfoolery might not seem a great deal, when you’re trying to fall asleep at night and combating the spins, you’ll appreciate it.

The researchers also asked what would change if someone were to drink multiple oxygen-enriched drinks over the course of the night. Would there be a cumulative effect? Again, the answer was yes: People who drank oxygenated booze had less severe and fewer hangovers than people who drank the non-fizzy stuff.

The conclusions were published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. The researchers conclude that the oxygen in alcohol has “a role to play in reducing alcohol-related side effects and accidents.”

[Via Slashdot]

Sleek Green Tub Runs By Bonfire

Nick Upton — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:59:58 +0000

It’s so simple but so genius, putting the most basic laws of thermodynamics into action to get things moving. The water in the tube heats up, rising upward and out of the top vent. At the same time, the cold water rushes into the heating pipe to maintain constant pressure.

The manufacturer claims that users can get the tub up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It certainly looks nice and steamy in a winter picture.

Is it worth the $6,000? I’m not sure, but the science behind the heating coil is so simple, I wonder how hard it would be to set one of these up. I’ve got an old bathtub that would be perfect!

[Via FairesaDeco | Images Via Dutchtub]

Steampunk Taxidermy Awesome, Not Sexy

Nick Upton — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:12:19 +0000

You can throw a rock at the internet and hit a big pile of steampunk. But Ron Pippin has taken steampunk-styled art to a new level with taxidermy.

Each piece is so incredibly detailed that it looks like his creations could come to life, or back to life as it were.

His horse sculpture has brass hydraulics intertwined with bone and sinew to make an real looking bionic horse that could gallop out of some warped 1930’s steampunk stable.

It’s quite a bizarre art, and though I don’t think I could do it myself (I don’t even like touching raw chicken) I’m glad someone out there is doing it.

His other taxidermy is fascinating too, like the spooky marmot below.

[Via Ron Pippin]

Is Kindess Contagoius?

Nick Upton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:32:48 +0000

In a really interesting but slightly confusing study, scientists showed that kindness is contagious — even if it doesn’t make sense.

Political scientist James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and medical sociologist Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University published their study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Basically, the study followed a giving game that gave each player a set number of credits to spend as they choose. What they found at the end of the blind test was that those who gave prompted others to give as well.

The best payoff would come if everyone gave all their money — but without knowing what others were doing, it always made sense to keep one’s money and skim from the generosity of others.

…
And when one person gave, others in their group tended to be generous during the next two rounds of play. Recipients of their largess became more generous in turn, and so on down the chain. When a punishment round was added — players could spend their own money to reduce the rewards of selfish players — generosity lasted even longer.

Very interesting stuff, but ultimately researchers said it boiled down to a playground mentality of monkey see, monkey do. When people see someone else doing good, they are more apt to do it themselves.

The researchers also put a round in where people could spend their money to penalize selfish people; which made the selfish few give just like their kindhearted peers. They did warn, however, that being selfish was equally contagious.

[Via Wired]

Google Testing Set-Top Box

Nick Upton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:15:22 +0000

The Wall Street Journal says that Google has been testing a new set-top box to create their own schedule and find videos from around the internet and TV shows.

Google Inc. is testing a new television-programming search service with Dish Network Corp., according to people familiar with the matter, the latest development in a fast-moving race to combine Internet content with conventional TV.

The service, which runs on TV set-top boxes containing Google software, allows users to find shows on the satellite-TV service as well as video from Web sites like Google’s YouTube, according to these people. It also lets users to personalize a lineup of shows, these people said.

This could be huge, huge, huge for Google, funneling people to its vast media pool from anywhere — YouTube especially. It could also mean easily finding any free-to watch shows around the internet. I would love to be able to search for Always Sunny in Philadelphia and be brought directly to the FX site, NBC for 30 Rock and my Netflix account when I want to watch Dexter. Instead of poking around the sites, Google could ferret out all the videos I want.

That is, of course, conjecture, but not farfetched.

It also means Google ads online and on TV could get heavy rotation; which is good, Google seems to be hurting lately.

[Via Wall Street Journal (Subscription required)]

3D Televisions Finally On Sale

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Well, after years and years of hype, we’ve finally got word of the first commercially available 3D television.

Last thursday, Amazon.com put up for sale Samsung 46-inch and 55-inch TVs have the capability to display 3-D programming. The sets, which are LED backlit and cost $3,300 at the high end, cost roughly 20% more than Samsung’s non-3D models.

The other cost? There’s no programming for them right now! The first 3D Blu-Ray’s will go on sale this summer, and though DirecTV has announced that it will have 3D channels, none of them are available right now. ESPN and Discovery have also announced 3D channels, neither of which are currently up.

So what’s the point of owning one of these bad boys right now? Bragging rights? I honestly have no idea - but hey, if you have a bunch of extra money right now that you’re looking to spend on technology that doesn’t even currently function, then head over to Amazon.com!

Still Alive! Portal 2 Headed For Holiday Release

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:21 +0000

I’m making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.

As if the headline and magazine cover didn’t make this perfectly clear, Valve has announced that Portal 2 is heading for gamers this holiday season. To prepare the way for the release, several updates to Portal have been pushed through, including a new achievement, mysterious sound files, and the addition of a new ending, which is below:

What’s that robot saying at the end? Apparently, “Thank for you assuming the party escort submission position,” which is a reference to an earlier level (what it means still escapes me, as does a lot of what GLaDOS says).

Additionally, heading to the Aperture Science website plays an animated gif with a christmas-themed version of “Still Alive,” including a weighted companion cube in a Santa hat. It’s adorable.

For 12 pages of Portal 2 goodness, including information on new gameplay mechanics, twists and story points, check out this month’s Game Informer.

Source & Photo Source: VentureBeat

Coming Soon: Pink Floyd Swarming Robot Show

Nick Upton — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:07:04 +0000

MIT researchers are taking 3D video to the actual third dimension with their prototype system of flying swarms of robot displays.

Yup, read that again — I’ll wait.

I know!! What?!

The video from MIT distills all the pertinent information, but doesn’t capture the scope that something like this could have. Hypothetically, the “Flyfire” technology could create giant moving displays about anything anywhere.

Think of those cheesy laser light shows that once blew people’s minds. Bands could use this to fill a stadium with their light displays or video of the band. Outdoor venues could have towering video arrows instead of spotlights.

I guess advertisers could use the technology to advertise to people in airplanes or at popup events like carnivals that don’t need dedicated billboards or lighting.

It’s not going to be HD video in the sky, but with a little creativity a swarm of flying robots could wow just about anyone.

[Via Make Magazine | MIT]

Will The Bloom Box Replace The Grid?

Nick Upton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:07:40 +0000

A man who designed a working oxygen farm for Mars turned his efforts toward earth with the new fuel-cell power plant dubbed the Bloom Box.

The idealist genius said reverse engineered his work on the oxygen farm, and instead of pumping out oxygen, he pumped it in and created electrical power.

CBS talked to the man, K.R. Sridhar, and he showed just how straightforward the process was.

Sridhar feeds oxygen to it on one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity.

There’s no need for burning or combustion, and no need for power lines from an outside source.

The secret to the process is a green and black ink that creates the chemical reaction that produces electricity.

Some huge names are already using the Bloom Boxes, and aside a few hiccups, swear by the new technology.

FedEx installed a mini Bloom Box power plant in Oakland. Walmart did too, and eBay has been using five of the boxes and say they account for 15 percent of power generation on their huge campus. EBay’s CEO said the biogass-powered generators already saved them more than $100,000 in energy costs in just nine months.

Each box costs $700,000 to $800,000, but if it reaches a larger scale, that price will inevitably go down. Since the Bloom Box is a green technology, anyone installing the devices also gets a 30 percent tax break (an additional 20 percent in California); which brings the cost down significantly.

Even skeptics admitted that the technology was a breakthrough. One tried to poo-poo the company by saying that GE would be making the cells instead. But regardless, it works and if it continues to work the Bloom Box could essentially change how power is produced.

Instead of having massive nuclear power plants or valleys filled with solar panels, Sridhar — and the skeptics — say that companies could buy the fuel cell boxes and drop them into a neighborhood and not worry about the failing transmission lines or the gazillion-dollars to update the grid for other green energy.

Sridhar wants to take it a step further, installing boxes the size of a dog at every home. And he wants to sell them for less than $3,000 — about the cost of a low quality, low power wind generator. Because the system can work on just about any gas people could simply install it like they would a new dryer.

I’ll be watching the Bloom Boxes intently as they become a publicly traded company, and I truly hope the device works as well as the designer says. These boxes could be the key to real green energy without having to reinvent the wheel when it comes to infrastructure.

[Via CBS Video | CBS Story]

Cheap Camera Hacked To Record High-Speed Video

Nick Upton — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:50:48 +0000

Scientists looking to record heart functions in high speed were having a lot of trouble getting affordable high-speed video footage.

So instead of sitting around and getting drunk like most scientist I know, these Oxford chaps created a hack to turn their store-bought video camera into a high-speed camera capable of 400 frames per second instead of the factory 25 fps.

But before you get out the guns and the humming birds and sneezing friends you want to record on high-speed video, the hack isn’t any little software update. According to a New Scientist article on the hack, it means

They achieved the trick using a component most common in another consumer gadget – a home cinema projector. These projectors contain a digital chip studded with tiny, moving mirrors, each of which controls the brightness of a pixel in the projected image.

The Oxford team fixed one of these chips between their camera’s lens and its image sensor. They used the chip’s mirrors as a selective shutter, chopping up every frame of video captured by the camera into 16 lower-resolution frames.

As seen in the video, the resolution is much lower than even most cell phone cameras, but they are high-speed nonetheless. It’s an ingenious way to capture high-speed functions without dropping thousands of dollars on a camera, despite the low resolution.

So instead of trying this hack and breaking my camera and my projector and probably electrocuting myself, I’m going to watch 10 seconds of footage stretched out to 3 minutes.

Cheerleaders at 15 seconds followed by fire breathing, and a Jello drop at 2 minutes — you’re welcome:

[Via New Scientist]

Flattr Creates Virtual Tip Jar For Artists

Nick Upton — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:07:42 +0000

While appealing his copyright infringement case and potential jail time, one of Pirate Bay’s founders has been working on a way for people to actually give money to artists on the internet.

Peter Sunde said he has been thinking about creating a service to link artists to their fans’ money. Flattr is live and currently in beta, but is getting clogged by all the people swarming to try it out.

The way the service works is really fascinating, doling out user fees to artists based on the clicks of a site’s Flattr button. Sunde described it in detail to the BBC.

“The money you pay each month will be spread evenly among the buttons you click in a month,” said Peter Sunde.

“We want to encourage people to share money as well as content,” Mr Sunde told BBC News. “It’s a test to see if this might be a working method for real micropayments.”

The minimum Flattr wants people to pay each month is 2 euros (£1.73) but members can pay more if they want to.

“That way you have control over your monthly spending on content, and you can rather help many people than just a few,” he said.

It would be a great way for those countless artists between iTunes level and a local buzz band. Throw a Flattr button on their MySpace page and these artists have a virtual tip jar anywhere they want — all with zero operating costs for the artists.

Beyond musicians, writers, photographers, free web site designers, Flash game makers etc. could all tap into Flattr and let their fans show appreciation with more than their comments.

The only hitch is the monthly payment, I think it’s a great idea, but I don’t know if I would be up for paying $5 a month — especially if I’m not getting anything in return. I’d much rather buy a shirt from the band site instead of giving them 75 cents at the end of the month.

Sunde, however, has quite a altruistic view of his work, and I for one hope he can get everyone (including me) on board.

“We’re not really in this for becoming rich,” he said. “We’re doing it to change things and making people get money they never got before.”

“I know that people are nice enough,” he said. “People love things and they want to pay.”

[Via BBC]

Wash Your Hands With Plasma! (You Go First)

Nick Upton — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:17:01 +0000

Scientists have been working for many years to design something to replace the dull act of washing hands.

I for one am delighted, I’ve been telling all my friends that someone really needs to zazz-up the whole bathroom experience with lasers. I do have some little concerns with sticking your hand into a box filled with face-melting lasers a la Terminator.

The designers said they wanted to provide an alternative for doctors so they wouldn’t have to spend so long washing their hands and getting dishpan hands.

The plasma is created at room temperature and pressure by running electrical current through air. The resulting gas (found in fluorescent lights, plasma TVs, Halo guns and neon signs) can zap anything from bacteria to viruses, even the troublesome MSRA.

Even scientists, however, don’t assuage my fear of ending my hand model career with one of these things.

Mark Kushner, the director of the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science, described his 16-year-old boy’s approach to science to the New York Times.

“Many thousands of volts drive the generation of plasma,” he said, “and normally one doesn’t want to touch thousands of volts.” But the design of the new hand sanitizers, he said, protects people from doing so.

Reassured by that design, about five years ago he put his naked thumb into a jet of microbe-destroying plasma at the lab of another plasma researcher.

“It was just one of those leaps of faith,” he said. (His thumb survived just fine.)

Sure, plasma streams are just like electric fences.

Check out one more mockup of the inside of the plasma hand wash, but note that nobody would put their hand inside for the picture.

[Via NY Times]

Canon T2i Features Video Zoom, 1080p At 30FPS

Nick Upton — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:13:00 +0000

The new poster boy for Canon — the Canon T2i — blends the line between a high-quality DSLR camera and an HD video camera.

The T2i looks to be the next step in bringing HD video to the masses. Debuting at $800 ($900) with a lens kit in March, the camera is leagues beyond its similarly-priced counterparts. The Canon T2i can do up to 1080p video at — compared to other still cameras — a blinding fast 30 fps. It also does 720p at 60 fps.
On top of all that, the T2i can also zoom automatically while shooting video. Other still cameras along with the T1i were very difficult to focus while shooting video since photographers were forced to focus manually with the lenses.

The T2i also features “Movie Crop” mode:

Another feature debuting in the Rebel T2i is Canon’s new Movie Crop mode, where the user can achieve 7x magnification when shooting SD video for a significantly increased “telephoto” effect.

Unlike the digital zoom feature found in many compact digital cameras, Canon’s new Movie Crop mode actually crops the image directly from the CMOS sensor at full SD resolution to preserve maximum image quality and provide additional zoom power.

Oh, and to make up for the typically awful sound taken via still cameras, the Rebel T2i features an external stereo microphone jack on top of the onboard mic.

Oh right, it’s a camera too:

The EOS Rebel T2i DSLR features a newly developed 18-million-pixel Canon CMOS imaging sensor providing outstanding resolution and light sensitivity for amazing poster-sized prints with fine detail and stunning color.

The camera exhibits exceptional low-noise performance incorporating many of the same technologies used to reduce noise in professional cameras such as the EOS 7D. The Rebel T2i camera’s basic ISO range is an amazing 100~6400, and via a Custom Function, it can be extended to ISO 12,800.

Taking advantage of the video functionality, the T2i still camera is extremely fast, shooting at 3.7fps of continuous images.

So yeah, I want it.

Spray On Glass Turns Any Surface Durable, Cleanable

Nick Upton — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:25:34 +0000

A new breakthrough in spraying stuff on stuff has created what could be the next step in creating ultra-durable, easy-to-clean surfaces on most any material.

The versatile spray, which forms an easy-clean coating one millionth of a millimeter thick – 500 times thinner than a human hair – can be applied to virtually any surface to protect it against water, dirt, bacteria, heat and UV radiation.

It is hoped that liquid glass, a compound of almost pure silicon dioxide, could soon replace a variety of cleaning products which are harmful to the environment, leaving our world coated in an invisible, wipe-clean sheen.

Research has proven the claims, with food-processing companies showing that surfaces treated with the spray-on glass were just as clean after being washed with only water as if they were treated with concentrated bleach.

The German company Nanopool holds the patent and is currently in talks with companies and government bodies about rolling out the technology. The spray can be created from an alcohol base (which would serve as a sterile surface) or water (which Nanopool says would be breathable and flexible).

Key to the product’s versatility is the fact it can be sold in a solution of either alcohol or water, depending on what surface needs to be coated. The layer formed by the liquid glass is said to be flexible and breathable.

The patent for the technology is owned by a German company, Nanopool, which is in discussions with UK companies and the NHS about the use of liquid glass for a wide range of purposes.

Before everyone puts on their durable surface party hats, the geeks of Slashdot had some things to say about the dangers of silicon dioxide. One commenter mentioned that inhaling the substance can cause scoliosis or bronchitis and it doesn’t break down in the lungs — decreasing capacity over time.

[Via Slashdot | Telegraph]

OMG, ROFLCon? LOL!

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:42:05 +0000

I spend a lot of time online. An unhealthy amount, some might say. I’d like to say that I’m typically using the web in productive ways, but that would be a lie. I spend a ton of time enjoying the web’s most popular memes such as LolCats, Chad Vader, FAIL Blog, Awkward Family Photos and all the other hilarious, strange and ridiculous thing that make the internet worth using. Something wonderful and terrifying has happened to bring the creators of all these popular memes together under one roof: ROFLCon, the internet culture convention.

Now in its second year, ROLFCon will be held April 30th – May 1 at MIT, and feature lectures and discussions with the folks that are shaping the culture of the internet. Registration is open now and will cost most of you $65 bucks ($45 for students). More awesome web luminaries than I could possibly list here will be in attendance, but here’s a sampling of some of the participants:

Joel Veitch, creator of We Like The Moon
The Gregory Brothers, creators of Auto-Tune The News
Ben Huh of I Can Has Cheezburger
Moot of the horrifying 4Chan
Jason Steele, creator of Charlie the Unicorn

Also in attendance: The folks behind phenomena like Dinosaur Comics, Stuff White People Like, Keyboard Cat, This is Why You’re Fat, David After Dentist, the Three Wolf Moon shirt and many, many more. If you have no idea who any of these people are, I suggest you visit Know Your Meme (who will also be in attendance).

Source: ROFLCon

Video Game God Ralph Baer Is Smarter Than You

Nick Upton — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:59:39 +0000

So I’ve played Simon Says, Pong and Duck Hunt, and hundreds of stupid Internet games for a good portion of my life.

Little did I know that the same person was responsible for just about every facet of gaming there ever will be: Ralph Baer.

I took some time and watched this great interview with Baer, who described his many, many groundbreaking inventions. (It’s 17 minutes, but well worth a lunch break.)

Baer, a German Jew who escaped the country before the Nazi’s came to power, began his career as a radio technician. But after working with military intelligence, earning a bachelors of science and a few stints as a designer, he started his own company with defense-electronics in mind.

While he was working on defense applications, he took a noted detour and created the first video game console. He then added a light gun to the console and whipped up a little game called Simon.

If that weren’t enough, Baer also designed a way for people to play games, such as his Pong, through cable lines. Nobody, sadly, thought much of it and decided not to buy his invention, delaying console-to-console gaming by decades.

He created a number of other toys, gadgets and gizmos up until his retirement in 1987.

In 2006, Baer was awarded the National Medal of Technology by George W. Bush for his work on video games.

Is Baer the government’s answer to keeping intelligent, technology-savvy people from doing anything productive? Probably not, but he is truly a genius who was decades ahead of his time and we can thank him for basically inventing video games — despite the fact that our thumbs, brains and time is hurting.

It’s a wonder that he ever existed, let alone is still kicking. Nobody in the sphere of video games comes close to his level of genius.

MakerBot’s 3-D Printer New Star Of DIY Tech

Nick Upton — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:14:51 +0000

MakerBot showed off their new Cupcake CNC at the Consumer Electronics Show and there was a constant crowd trying to get a glimpse at the 3-D plastic printer. Basically the printer draws each layer of a design, then draws the next on top of it.

According to a MakerBot press release it works just like a glue gun.

To get a sense of how it works, imagine an extremely accurate, programmable glue gun. The Cupcake CNC starts by drawing a picture of the first layer of your object in plastic. It then raises the extruder up 1/3rd of a millimeter and draws the next layer. When all the layers are complete, you’ve manufactured a 3D object from your own or an open source design.

The device serves — a DIY kit itself– as a good glimpse into the subculture of do-it-yourself technology. While it’s not financially connected to Make Magazine or the popular open-source Audrino chip and operating system, MakerBot’s founder Bre Pettis has plenty of connections. Pettis created videos for Make Magazine and the MakerBot printer runs on the Audrino system.

The first few printers that come up on a Google search are $14,900 and $35,000, and the cheapest one on EBay is 4,999.98, so at $950 the MakerBot printer is a bit easier on the pocket book.

The printer can be used to make a robot shell for one of the many robotics kits out there or make a little gondola for a blimp kit.

At even the low price of $950, the MakerBot 3-D printer is a bit rich for the occasional tinkerer, but since the DIY movement is incredibly well connected, it could make a great addition to a local hackerspace and would be quite affordable if a few members split the cost. Renting out the MakerBot to other local makers could make up for a lot of the costs as well, though I didn’t find anything on Craigslist, talking to local makers could put one on the right track.

All in all, the MakerBot printer is a really interesting step in DIY tech and gets techies closer to putting their imaginations instead of their money into their new gizmo.

Below is some more video of the MakerBot printer in action at the 2010 CES.

LEGO Universe Playable — And Fun — At CES

Nick Upton — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:06:33 +0000

I got a chance to take Lego Universe for a spin at the Consumer Electronics Show, and I must say, LEGO’s attempt at an MMO was already well polished and a lot of fun.

Basically, it’s an MMO like any other but with a few features taken from the previous LEGO games. The combat, for instance, is quick and click happy, just like the console games. I got to run around killing LEGO robots with a LEGO spear — with a small set of move combinations.

Players also collect LEGO pieces like the console games, but these pieces all add up to the end game fun of building your own LEGO creations.

While the game certainly seems to be tailored toward the casual gamer, there are deeper game play options. LEGO volunteers said there would be group dynamics and quests that would require more than one person. One also said there would be a “way to tailor your game play.” That cryptic quote came when I asked about classes in LEGO Universe, so it seems there will be additional powers, but no definite word has been released on those thus far.

There is certainly experience, which grants more health at the very least. But what else the experience unlocked is unclear.

Speaking of the end game, one of the volunteers was tinkering with the LEGO Digital Designer which will be featured prominently in the end game.

There will be a little plot of land at the end and places to share your creations. I asked if it would be possible to drive your creations around, and a volunteer said that while there would be small interactive features in those plots but nothing major.

The volunteer did say there would be races and modular sets to find to compete with other players.

I personally cannot wait to get a further look at the game and waited in a long line to get a free LEGO man and sign up for the beta test.

LEGO Universe is still in family and friends alpha testing, but expect to hear more about it in the future.

Peregrine Gaming Glove Demoed By Pro Gamers At CES 2010

Nick Upton — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:55:35 +0000

I got a chance to peek at the Peregrine Gaming Glove at the Consumer Electronics Show, it looks pretty sweet for serious gaming.

Basically, as the video shows, you can bind any keystroke to a spot on the glove. Touch the thumb to the second knuckle on your ring finger and you can switch weapon sets. Touch again at the tip of the pointer finger, and toss a grenade.

It looks to be especially useful in games with a lot of abilities like the one demoed. I think it would be perfect for FPSs though. Hypothetically, if someone were not sober and playing Modern Warfare 2 in the dark it could be difficult to call in that airstrike without throwing a grenade on accident — hypothetically of course.

The pro gamer also mentioned the glove’s use for feature-heavy programs like Photoshop — especially for artists. Finding Shift+Ctrl+Y (I don’t know, I just crop stuff) is annoying and navigating through the menus while trying to use a stylus pad takes the artist out of the creative moment.

The glove is only available for preorders right now, and at $130 it’s sure to price out all but hardcore gamers and maybe the occasional artist or graphic designer.

CES Honoree Will Let Me Pump Muzak All Over The House

Nick Upton — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:55:18 +0000

One of the Innovation honorees at the Consumer Electronics Show has my auduophilia enflamed to epic proportions.

Xantech, Inc. created the Digital Delivery System for audio; which pumps high quality sound with amplification into any room in the house via cheap CAT-5 cable (hear that Monster?).

Installation looks pretty simple, just the same as a light switch or wall socket without having to deal with dying by electrocution. The wall mounts come with every output you could want, as well as IR inputs for remotes and whatever else audiophiles have laying around.

This would be perfect for setting up a music center in the living room or basement and piping it into every room in the house without having to deal with spotty wi-fi or home networks. Not to mention, pumping some big bass through laptop speakers sounds like crap.

If I had a house, I would grab this immediately — right after the hot tub, the sauna, flamingos for the lawn and the secret underground lab.

Nexus One vs. Droid. Fight!

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:45:00 +0000

Just a few short days ago, Google announced the Nexus One, the first phone designed by the technology giant. But only a few months ago, Motorola released the Droid, their fancy smartphone that runs on Google’s Android software and was supposed to be the next hot thing in phones. Keeping up with cell phone technology can be daunting, especially if you’re not one of those folks who obsesses over every little bit of phone tech news (and believe me, those people are out there). To help you decide between the two latest high-profile guide, we offer up this features comparison that will walk you through the differences, but more importantly, what those differences mean.

PROCESSOR

The Droid runs on a 600MHz processor. The Nexus One runs on a 1GHz processor. Obviously, that means that the Nexus One is much faster. The big advantage of this is that it will be able to multi-task complex applications to a degree that no previous phone has been capable of.

KEYBOARD AND DISPLAY

One of the Droid’s main selling points is its slide-out keyboard. However, because of small keys, no one seems to like it much. The Nexus One has only a touch screen keyboard. Tthe Droid has a 3.7-inch screen that displays video at 854 x 480 pixels. In comparison, the Nexus One’s screen operates at 800 x 480 pixels. Most consumers probably won’t notice a difference.

OPERATING SYSTEM

The Droid runs the Google Android 2.0 operating system. The Nexus One runs Android 2.1. Despite the small numerical difference, 2.1 adds major features such as a 3D photo album and a voice command recognition. You’ll be able to operate Google Maps with your voice while you’re driving, for example.

SERVICE

I don’t want to get too deep into the particulars or plans and costs, because that stuff gets messy quickly. Here are the basics: the Droid is a Verison phone, The Nexus One is not exclusive to any carrier. Google has a deal with T-Mobile to provide service for the device (the $179 price point is with a two-year contract), but the Nexus One is available for use on any cell phone network, provided it uses the same cell phone protocol. One of the main concepts behind the Nexus One is that switching service providers shouldn’t force you to switch phones.

For more information on the Nexus One, the Droid and how they compare against each other and other leading smart phones, see the comparison chart here.

Machines May Replace Journalists, Bloggers (Gulp)

Nick Upton — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:36:30 +0000

I always thought the takeover by robots would be bloody or fiery, I never thought they would put me in the breadline though.

NewsScope or its next incarnation could end the “manual process” of journalism.

Wired UK had a story about the process, which is being used to plow through massive amounts of data.

Reuters’ language processing techniques represent an interesting twist, but there’s nothing particularly revolutionary about machine-readable news feeds. Like RSS, NewsScope depends on XML. The service was launched three years ago, and Dow Jones offers one of several competing products on the market.

It seems to have taken longer for machine-written news to emerge as a similarly reliable proposition. Two weeks ago, however, NewsScope started carrying news stories written by machines.

The latest iteration of NewsScope “scans and automatically extracts critical pieces of information” from US corporate press releases, eliminating the “manual processes” that have traditionally kept so many financial journalists in gainful employment.

Reuters’ NewsScope is currently being used only for financial data, keeping tabs on price points and trading activity.

It’s a bit scary to be honest, and not only for my yacht fund (currently at $14.65). If the process is connected to voice recognition during speeches or press releases, it could mean bot-created news across the board. This is distressing because there is already enough poor writing on the internet to choke a whale, but also because it means fewer journalists. Who’s to say that whoever has this machine won’t just turn it off at some point, and who will be the gatekeeper for all this information.

There are obviously some huge ethical questions about this sort of journalism, but the industry will adapt — but fewer reporters means less real news.

8 Sweet Gadgets To Look For At CES 2010

Nick Upton — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:44:28 +0000

There are so many cool gadgets, innovations and gizmos at the CES it’s hard to go look for just one cool thing. But here are seven such gizmos that are especially fascinating and could find their way into the home very soon.

3-D TV With No Glasses: Everyone and their mom is unveiling a 3-D TV this year, but I really want to see the new 3M TV that promises three dimensions sans the polarizing glasses that most 3-D requires. It sounds really intriguing, but the headache factor may be a major deal-breaker.

Nexus One: I just want to play with it. And if, by chance, they want to give me one, I’d be quite happy. It’s got some quite impressive specs and I want to see how fast it can be — I also want to see Android 2.1 since my phone still has 1.6.

Lenovo’s Tablet, Notebook Hybrid: Holy crap, this thing looks awesome. I’ve been pretty unimpressed by all the tablets and PMPs going around — they all seem to be a lesser, slightly smaller version of my laptop. The portability just didn’t trump my need to do actual work on a computer. But Lenovo’s IdeaPad U1 Hybrid looks to have the best of both worlds. You can type, surf and everything with the keyboard, then unhitch the screen to watch movies or read e-books. The really novel part is that when it’s unhitched, the tablet part runs on its own operating system.

Super Slim E-Reader: I still have a soft spot for books, but I am eager to peek at the next generation in e-readers. The Que e-reader looks super slim and easy to move, but anyone who’s tried an e-reader knows that if the operating system or interface is wonky, it won’t last.

In-car wireless network: finally, a way to make driving even more dangerous. A few manufacturers have announced the mobile networks, and while it would make for more tech overload for drivers, it also means endless access to steaming music and safety services a la OnStar. Ford is giving a keynote address, which could unveil some interesting new car tech.

HydroFill fuel cells: These sound pretty cool and a good step toward commercial fuel cells. The system plugs in to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, stores the hydrogen in the MiniPak. Users then use the MiniPak to charge their devices with a USB port or adapters.

Project Natal: It took a while, for a competitor to the Wii’s interactivity, but Project Natal looks pretty good. Microsoft is poised to release Project Natal, or at least demonstrate it again. I cannot wait to see people trying it out and looking completely ridiculous.

Mini Touch Projector: The Light Touch looks simply amazing, projecting a 10 inch touch screen onto a table. These touch-projectors have been around for a while, but nothing has looked so sleek and so usable. This could really mean turning any smart phone into a work station on the go.

What else?

I want to see new apps! Since apps are about the only tech a lot of people can afford, I’d think that developers would be working extra hard to tweak their old apps and create new ones. Foursquare will be out in force, with a special badge for attendees, and these conferences are a great way for early-adopters to find those new social apps that are getting so popular.

Google’s Nexus One: It’s Here! And I Want It!

Nick Upton — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:15:57 +0000

It’s been hard to jump on the hype train for the Nexus One, but I held my itchy blogger finger and waited. But now it’s here!

Google’s first act of a big year was to unveil the Nexus One at a press event.

It looks like the Nexus One is at the top of the cell phone pile with a lot of impressive specs, but how do the official specs compare alongside the iPhone or the Droid?

Firstly, it has a sick processor, the Nexus One clocks into the cell phone fray with a Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz. You’d have to put the Droid (550 MHz) and the iPhone 3GS (833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHz) to beat that — and I doubt that would work.

HD video at 720×480 is the second thing that sets the Google Phone apart, encoded as H.263 at 20 fps it rivals most current, quality point-and-shoot cameras and dominates the cell phone market. It’s a good step toward better video sharing across the industry. I have a dream of America’s Funniest Home Videos in full HD glory.

The megapixels on the phone are on par with the competition at 5 megapixels — compared to the iPhone with 3 and the Droid at 5. It’s good, but well behind dedi dedicated camera-focused phones like the Samsung Memoir or the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot (with 8 megapixels).

The camera does have an LED flash, which is a sticking part of some other Android devices such as the MyTouch.

Connectivity is key to the Nexus One, It’s got plenty of wi-fi capabilities (b/g/n) and download speeds up to 7.2Mbp so you can go right to Google, Gmail and the rest of the internet.

The AMOLED screen is nice and big at 3.7 inches with a resolution of 800×480 it trumps the iPhone’s screen at 3.5 inches at 320×480 and the same size as the Droid’s screen at 3.7 inches at 854×480. The iPhone’s standard multi-touch functionality isn’t there, but some people have gotten similar capabilities on other Android devices. Android 3 is also due out this year, and rumor has it that multi-touch will be included.

The Nexus One also has a large capacity for memory with a 32Gb expandable slot — on par with the iPhone 3GS and the Droid’s 32Gb. Filling that 32Gb with music and movies is perfect pairing with the wonderful, great, should-be-necessary-in-all-phones 3.5mm headphone jack.

And finally, it looks great and if the other HTC trackball phones are any indication, it’s incredibly intuitive and the Android system is quick and easy to use — but there is still a lack of sleek apps. Hopefully the popularity boost will bring more developers from the iPhone market.

Via Google/Phone.

Russia To World: We’ll Handle The Planetkiller Asteroids

Asterios Kokkinos — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:32:53 +0000

Wired’s Danger Room has a great write-up on an interview today Anatoly Perminov, the head of Russia’s space agency, on Voice of Russia radio.

Perminov: “People’s lives are at stake…we should pay several hundred million dollars and build a system that would allow to prevent a collision, rather than sit and wait for it to happen and kill hundreds of thousands of people.”

Anatoly Perminov, you’re absolutely right. So what’s your plan?

Perminov: “No nuclear explosions…[everything will be done] on the basis of the laws of physics.”

Boo, Minister Perminov, boo. Launching nuclear weapon’s at asteroids is my life’s dream. I’ll be damned before you take it away from me.

In the interview Perminov outlines no concrete asteroid-busting steps. But hey, it’s nice to know we’re not the only country working the planetary neighborhood watch anymore.

Source: Wired.com

Photo Source: Moving Images

HP Ink Costs More Than Human Blood, Says Website Stating The Obvious

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 14:10:54 +0000

What’s this? HP printer ink’s needlessly expensive? I’m shocked, shocked!

What’s this? Winter is cold and summer is hot? My mind has been blown!

The Consumerist, which is one of the best blogs on the internet, furnished the digital world with this chart showing that HP Black Ink #45 costs twice as much as human blood. Facts?

HP Ink #45: http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/C6650FN%2523140?landing=supplies&category=&family_name=
$63.99/84mL which equals $0.76/mL

Blood: Apparently Red Cross classifies ~500mL of blood as being worth $200, so that comes out to $0.40.

I remember last year I realized that buying new ink carts for my HP printer cost more than buying the printer, which came with the carts. If it wasn’t for our dying planet I’d be throwing out brand new printers left and right. Anyway, if you want to stick it to HP, use a cart refill website like 123inkjets.com.

Source: The Consumerist

TSA: Please Step Into My Nude Room

Nick Upton — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:11:52 +0000

The so called “underwear bomber” nearly took down a plane on Christmas, and now the Transportation Security Administration is pushing for better security technology, namely the Millimeter Wave Passenger Imaging Technology Pilot — which amounts to X-ray scanners commonly seen in cartoons.

While the machines won’t show our green glowing bones, the TSA thinks it is essential to spotting people trying to smuggle things through the airport. Privacy advocates all the way up to the senate have some concerns, but the TSA says anyone with concerns can skip the machine in favor of olde timey metal detectors and patdowns.

According to the TSA press release about the machines, most passengers prefer the device to old, slower methods.

Many passengers prefer advanced imaging technology. In fact, over 98 percent of passengers who encounter this technology during TSA pilots prefer it over other screening options.

Additionally, passengers with joint replacements or other medical devices that would regularly alarm a metal detector often prefer this technology because it is quicker and less-invasive than a pat down.

Despite the assurances and the grainy, PG-13 images that the TSA claims will be obscured in strategic areas, some lawmakers have some qualms.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said, “I believe there’s technology out there that can identify bomb-type materials without necessarily, overly invading our privacy,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. Chaffetz said he supports a measure that would keep the TSA from using the devices as a primary means of screening.

I say anything that would make the security line go quicker and give me a reason to wear my hilarious lead bling for the screeners is a good thing.

Space, Google To Dominate 2010 In Tech

Nick Upton — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:02:14 +0000

Take a look at what is expected for 2010 on the tech front — big leaps in space exploration and everyone will be watching Google once again.

Space Is The Place

New information from Kepler, a bigger better International Space Station and more Jupiter-Titan and friends news will make for a fascinating year in space exploration and habitation.

Space Tourism Boost

Find your “local accredited space agent” soon though, the first “around 250″ astronauts have already paid $200,000 to spend a few minutes in space.

Virgin Galactic unveiled the SpaceShipTwo in late 2009, the 6-passenger shuttle that will carry the first commercial space tourists into space.

When those astronauts will make it to space is a murky subject, but one that the proposed 2010 test flight will address. The flights have been pushed back before numerous times, but a test flight in 2010 doesn’t seem unreasonable. If the craft performs well and the slew of FAA regulations are completed, the first paying customers could look down on Earth in 2011 or 2012.

Sir Richard Branson said he and his family would be aboard the first flight and a crew of rich Russians have dibs on the first commercial flight.

Party On The ISS

The International Space Station won’t be getting much bigger in 2010, but it will become more habitable with a new life support system that recycles waste water and generates oxygen for the crew to breathe. Dubbed “Tranquility” the new update — currently slated for February 4 — will also add four new “birthing locations.” No, there won’t be any space babies in 2010, but the new hatches will allow for more spacecraft and space for future lab and living modules. More than one shuttle will be able to dock — which is a crucial point for future space travel.

Having the option of a pair of space-faring vehicles helps bypass the critical weight requirements for shuttle launches. If that second shuttle can take off directly from the space station, the weight isn’t as important.

The ISS will also house more spare parts and supplies, allowing for longer stays for more people.

Sailing The Seas Of Titan

In 2010, NASA scientists will continue to ponder sending a ship to sail in the open seas of liquid methane. The Cassini Equinox mission recently caught the sun glinting off the moon’s massive, 150,000 square mile Kraken Mare. The open sea is the ideal place for a submersible ship to splashdown without having to penetrate thick ice.

The mission will also unveil more news of Titan’s small, unpopular sibling Enceladus; which could have greater implications than any celestial body in the solar system. Researchers have found evidence of “complex organic chemicals” on Enceladus which could provide the ideal place for the growth of primitive life.

Brand New Planets

The American Astronomical Society is expected to release news about new planets found by the 2009 Kepler Mission probe. The AAS meeting in January 2010 will feature NASA’s “confirmation of a number of planets.”

The new planets were spotted by Kepler as it looks for winking stars; and now that the probe and the science team is up and running, these discoveries will become more frequent.

[Via NASA and Virgin Galactic]

All Eyes On Google

Google has a lot brewing for 2010: the Nexus One, the Google Chrome operating system, updated search listings and the future of Google News.

Google Nexus One

Droid Does, but Google is hoping the Nexus One does it better as it jumps into the mobile phone market.

Google dropped a bomb on the mobile phone market, going up against its own partners using the Android system. The tail end of 2009 saw leaked shots and bloggers drooling over the new Nexus One.

Un-tethered and unlocked — what amounts to the first Google phone is set for release in January of 2010 and won’t require any service plan lock-in. The Nexus One will feature Android 2.1 and will likely make it easier than ever to use Google Voice as a dedicated VOIP service from anywhere with an internet connection.

Google Voice everywhere could mean some big changes for the mobile phone industry, especially prices. If Google starts giving minutes away for free, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and everyone else may have some major competition on their hands and could be forced to update their networks for the spike in internet usage.

Android vs Everyone

More updates and more apps will find their way to Android users in 2010 and make for more healthy competition. With Android 2.0 still rolling out and 2.1 native on the Nexus One and slated for the Verizon Droid and other phones, Google is demonstrating that it is keeping users in mind. This could attract more developers for the Android Market’s varied but anemic app store.

The last update of 2009 for most phones brought greater voice activation support and free spoken GPS based on Google Maps, so more novel free features are anxiously awaited in 2010.

Though Google hasn’t given much hint at features beyond 2.1, but support for Google Wave and Google Fastflip are anxiously awaited.

Google vs News

Google still has Rupert Murdoch’s blood a boilin’ but that may change in 2010. The issue of paying for news and on-site paywalls is a ubiquitous problem in the news community since the people making the news aren’t getting paid for their work. Google’s Fast Flip could change all that. The service allows a snippet of the actual news site in a frame, allowing users to read part of the article but funneling them to the site if they want to read more.

Google basically beat Murdoch to the paywall punch, allowing an easy way for users to find news via Google but still bring their clicks and revenue to the original source.

There has been no official word, but Fast Flip may find its way to the main Google News page sometime in 2010.

WTF Is Google Wave

Google Wave is fresh, it’s interesting and it’s fun, and despite the fact that the few people with access don’t know what to do with it, it could change how people view the internet.

The real time protocol allows for what amounts to a online conference room. Users can drag in pictures, quotes videos even games and useful tools into their wave to share with others.

It could be a total bust, but allowing online, real-time collaboration could be a great way for organizations to supplement or replace the awkward web meetings and conference calls.

It could also change how blogs are done, a mobile phone with Google Wave could update a site immediately. Citizen journalists, bloggers and online social butterflies should keep an eye on the project and fight for that invite in 2010.

Caffeine Jitters

Google’s search algorithm update aims to be faster and more intuitive.

The update will begin rolling out in early 2010 and will feature more real time results from Twitter and Google News. The update will also penalize slow-loading sites possibly cutting a lot of junk from key search results.

Google Operating System

Google’s head is in the cloud with the impending rollout of the new operating system. Designed with mobile computers and online apps in mind, the new operating system will likely first be featured on netbooks, though no official plans have been set. The Chrome OS will tap directly into Google’s online apps and, ideally bringing the operating system in line with the wired world sometime in 2010.

[Via TechCrunch and Google's Blog]