Tag: tech Digest
Review: Shure Sound Isolating Earphones (SE Series)
It can be a minefield choosing between headphones, with so many brands touting fantastic reputations around the market, but at least Shure can be one name you can count on for quality.
Each set of the SE Series, from the low-end £99 set to the golden globules of the £329.99 top-of-the-range pair, is crafted…
Tech Hotlinks for 29-May-07: Zune, BBC Panorama, MS Office, NEC…
– Microsoft’s Zune MP3-player has already met sales targets ahead of its late-June hopes of one million units sold. Paltry, in comparison to Apple’s 100 million-plus iPods sold. 🙁
– A British science teacher has reported they kicked-out BBC’s Panorama team from the school for practising ‘bad science’. So, a bunch of kids can detect nonsense scaremongering, but the general public…
LG washing machine with built in MP3 player
Okay LG, I understand, washing machines are noisy, music players are noisy, so a combination washing machine and MP3 player may have seemed like a natural. And if, like on the Simpsons, it was possible to convert the noise of the former into the noise of the latter, the patent application would almost make sense, instead of seeming gratuitous and inexplicable. It seems to somehow also involve hooking the washing machine to the internet, presumably so you can put your underwear on YouTube more conveniently. [GT]
United States Patent Application: Home appliance with MP3 player [via Unwired View]
The Vader Project remixes the Dark Lord's helmet
As part of the Star Wars 30th anniversary celebration, dozens of underground artists have built art around a 1:1 replica of Darth Vader’s helmet. The results are on display as The Vader Project, in the Los Angeles Convention Center. The pieces will also be going on world tour and subsequently will be auctioned. [GT]
Fujitsu show off their flexible 'Fab PC' at the Tokyo Design Premio show
Oh, to live in Japan! Those lucky Tokyo-dwelling citizens have been treated recently to the Tokyo Design Premio show, the largest international design event which celebrates Japanese lifestyles with 17 brands, 48 designers and graphic artists plus a huge display of high-end interiors.
Fujitsu were there showing off their wares and concept ideas, including the ‘Fab PC’, which is quite literally fab…
Mice without Cdk5 brain enzyme are smarter
UT Southwestern scientists built a better mouse brain by knocking out the Cdk5 brain enzyme. “Everything is more meaningful to these mice,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. James Bibb. “The increase in sensitivity to their surroundings seems to have made them smarter.” A new technique called “conditional knock out” allowed the team to actually remove the enzyme in adult mice, where previous methods required eliminating the entire gene. Developing. [GT]
Cell phone flask lets you be a stealth drunk
Anywhere you can’t take a traditional hip flask, you can probably still take a mobile, and the thing where you turn it upside down and, er, suck on it, you can rationalize as an attempt to improve reception… Likely your ability to explain away this little accessory will become more deft as you become more attached to it in any case. Speaking of case, comes with a little leather one that attaches to your belt, since it’s that extra touch that makes people think you still have your life together. $13. [GT]
Cell Phone Flask, 4 Oz [via Pocket Lint]
RUEBEN the ROBOT vintage travel alarm
Rueben the clock-bot is 16cm tall, 10cm wide, and made from a vintage 1940’s Westclox bakelite travel alarm, bakelite #7 pool ball, old faucet handle, bakelite dice and vintage wood dominos. Since Rueben sports a vintage alarm, he also helps you do a cubist re-enactment of Day of the Triffids. $55. [GT]
Mini Castle alarm goes right in the ear
I’ve gotten pretty proficient at whacking the little button on my alarm clock until it shuts up, and then going back to sleep for 1-3 hours, so the Mini Castle in-ear alarm is mixedly appealing. Slightly larger than a typical earbud, it fits right in your ear and when it goes off, it’s pretty likely you’ll hear it. Available in black, white, pink or green. $15. [GT]
Mini Castle in-ear alarm [Oh Gizmo]
'Caveman' provides 4d rendering of the human body
Canadian researchers have developed ‘Caveman’, a 4 dimensional model of the human body – the fourth dimension being time – which is so huge that over 3,000 distinct body parts are accessible. The viewing booth involves 3D goggles and a game-style joystick. “We say that killing monsters is fun, but curing cancer is more important,” commented Andrei Turinsky, a mathematician and computer scientist at the Visual Genomics center. ‘Caveman’ will allow researchers to develop greater understanding of diseases like cancer, diabetes, muscular sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. [GT]
