Archive for WoW

Nanosoccer at 2008 US RoboCup Open

{ May 18, 2008 @ 11:58 am } · { WoW }
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All your unicellular buddies are just going to love this. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is rallying a trio of student-built nanobot teams to compete at the world’s most popular sport, which will be the second time nanosoccer has accompanied the RoboCup Open. The difference with this year’s competition is that the public will be invited to watch. Of course, with a playing field the size of a grain of rice, a microscope will be used to show the crazy antics of the remote-controlled robots as they bat around nanoballs the diameter of a human hair. Sounds harmless, but just you wait: before you know it these little bots will start marrying Spice Girls and faking on-field injuries just like the pros.

Gold Macbook Air with Bejeweled Rainbow Apple

{ May 17, 2008 @ 7:07 pm } · { Gadgets, WoW }
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All the super rich geeks, watch out for this decked out 24 karat gold MacBook Air with a decorated version of the classic rainbow Apple. Folks at Computerchoppers are ready to entice their filthy rich clients with the shiny gold and colored sapphire. Maybe you find it a little flashy at first but you will definitely start loving it. There is no obvious change in the weight expect for few ounces here and there. Air is a standard 1.6ghz/2gb/80GB, with a 24-karat gold plating, polished exterior, and flat/crystallite interior. The price: $5000 USD. However you will have to chip in another 3000$ for the rainbow which is 14-karat gold with 3.8ctw sapphires.

NapTV

{ April 11, 2008 @ 12:15 am } · { Gadgets, Technology, WoW }
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When I was in kindergarten I had a beach blanket, a cot and a devil named Rose that would circle around us slapping a meter stick in her hand. Where was my NapTV chair with a built-in television? Perhaps my experience wouldn’t have been nearly as scarring had I been able to watch TV while lying on my back instead of listening to the Sound of Music album on a continuous loop. I blame that class for everything that is wrong with me today. Too bad the NapTV is only a concept.

TosPom Ball-Camera Catches You Catching It, Confuses Us

{ April 7, 2008 @ 11:44 pm } · { WoW }
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Take a ball, pop some digital cameras in it and you’ve more or less got TosPom. It’s a ball-camera gizmo that automatically snaps a picture of you the instant you catch it. Or, if you’re like me, a picture of you looking on in dismay as your hand misses, and it hits the dirt. You can see your strange “in action” mugshots on its built-in screen. It sounds like a fun device, but for the life of me I’m not sure how it works. Does it have some kind of weighted insert? The video, complete with horrifyingly catchy electro soundtrack, doesn’t add much info.

See what I mean? If it incorporates some neat face-recognition tech, that would be impressive. But if it’s just got a basic accelerometer that simply detects an impact, then you’re going to be looking at lots of pictures of walls, floors and sky. Those bracelets are a whacky idea too: wouldn’t some sort of recessed button do the trick? Still, there’s something endearing about the idea, and I kinda get the idea that it might snap you looking less “posed” than for normal photos. Purposeless fun, in a toy. It’s just a prototype, it seems.

The Worlds first Dynamic Architecture

{ April 6, 2008 @ 1:21 pm } · { WoW }
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A Green Environmental Tower – Dubai

The Dynamic Architecture building, which will be constantly in motion changing its shape, will be able to generate electric energy for itself as well as for other buildings. Forty-eight wind turbines fitted between each rotating floors as well as the solar panels positioned on the roof of the building will produce energy from wind and the sunlight, with no risk of pollution. The total energy produced by this inbuilt ‘powerhouse’ every year will be worth approximately seven million dollars.

Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity, compared to 1-1.5 megawatt generated by a normal vertical turbine (windmill). Considering that Dubai gets 4,000 wind hours annually, the turbines incorporated into the building can generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hour of energy.

As average annual power consumption of a family is estimated to be 24,000 kilowatt-hour, each turbine can supply energy for about 50 families. The Dynamic Architecture tower in Dubai will be having 200 apartments and hence four turbines can take care of their energy needs. The surplus clean energy produced by the remaining 44 turbines can light up the neighborhood of the building.

However, taking into consideration that the average wind speed in Dubai is of only 16 km/h the architects may need to double the number of turbines to light up the building to eight. Still there will be 40 free turbines, good enough to supply power for five skyscrapers of the same size.

The horizontal turbines of the Dynamic Architecture building are simply inserted between the floors, practically invisible. They neither need a pole nor a concrete foundation. In addition, they are at zero distance from the consumer, which makes maintenance easier.

The modern design of the building and the carbon fiber special shape of the wings take care of the acoustics issues. Producing that much electric energy without any implication on the aesthetic aspect of the building is a revolutionary step in tapping alternative energy sources. Furthermore, this energy will have a positive impact on the environment and economy.