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Turntables
$56,000 Four Arm Turntable is an Octopus DJ's Ticket to Fame
DJs or other beat mashing fiends with more than two arms are being held back by today's traditional turntables, so it's a good thing Highwater Sound is around to create $56,000 four arm Frankensteins like this thing. The table is built around a TW-Acoustic Raven AC and implements three motors. The arms were assembled from parts from Breuer Dynamic, Graham Engineering, Triplanar, and Ortofon, and the cartridges are the work of Dynavector, Ortofon, and Miyabi. We imagine that if you're a DJ, that last sentence caused the ol' heart rate to increase just a tad, among other things. [Highwater Sound via DVICE]
It's alive!
Computer Nearly Passes Turing Test for Artificial Intelligence
Today, the machines became a little smarter, as a computer named Elbot managed to achieve a 25% success rate when convincing a human being that they were talking to another human. The experiment is called the Turing Test, after mathematician Alan Turing, and Sunday's saw six Artificial Conversational Entities (ACEs) trying to ace the exam. Word is there was one human dunce in the mix, as all six computers managed to fool at least one interrogator into thinking they were speaking to another person, but none of the machines could officially pass Turing's strict standards. More »
AirPod
This post is almost half a Retromodo, in that compressed air cars have been peddled by companies like MDI for the last 20 years. But this compressed air-powered pod, the AirPod, is all new. The three-seater is powered by MDI's proprietary compressed air system, which uses electricity to force the air to power the engine's pistons. The car might appear in U.S. cities by 2010, and possibly India and Europe a bit sooner.
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AirPod is Like a Smart Car Full of Hot Air, and That's the Idea
This post is almost half a Retromodo, in that compressed air cars have been peddled by companies like MDI for the last 20 years. But this compressed air-powered pod, the AirPod, is all new. The three-seater is powered by MDI's proprietary compressed air system, which uses electricity to force the air to power the engine's pistons. The car might appear in U.S. cities by 2010, and possibly India and Europe a bit sooner.
More »
3:30 PM on Sun Oct 12 2008
By Jack Loftus
1,134 views,
8 comments
Latest by Charging_Mooses: why dont they just use the electicity to power it, instead of electricity to put the air in the car... maybe more »
cartel
CarTel Device Attacks Traffic Jams with Fleet of Networked Smart Cars
Researchers at MIT are using computer networks and cabbies to tackle a routine problem that I, personally, can attest to: Boston area traffic jams. Called CarTel (get it?), the system creates a network by way of cell phone-sized black boxes. The boxes currently sit on board 50 cars and taxis in the Boston area. Drivers access the CarTel web portal for real-time info on their own vehicle as well as those around them. "Everybody's data is contributing to collective views of what congestion looks like," said MIT associate professor Samuel Madden. More »
Robots
Robot Prototype Finds, Attacks and Kills Breast Cancer Cells
Here's one in the plus column for the looming robot uprising: a prototype developed by University of Maryland professor Jaydev Desai could one day diagnose, hunt, and destroy breast cancer cells all in one sitting, and in a much more efficient manner than we ham-handed human beings. More »
MacBook
Chinese blog MacX is showing some very legit looking pics of what they allege is the MacBook Pro casing today. We will have to wait for the MacBook 2008 event this week to see if it is real or not, but they are crystal clear and in line with both series of previous leaked images.
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New MacBook 2008 Alleged Aluminum Case Photos Hit the Web
Chinese blog MacX is showing some very legit looking pics of what they allege is the MacBook Pro casing today. We will have to wait for the MacBook 2008 event this week to see if it is real or not, but they are crystal clear and in line with both series of previous leaked images.
More »
Firefox Mobile
First Screens of Firefox Mobile Surface with Few Surprises, No Release Date
Early October saw Mozilla CEO John Lilly claiming Firefox Mobile would be available in a few weeks. That's still the case today, but one additional bit of info we can deliver to you are some of the first screen shots of the browser to hit the net. According to the Unwired, these screens are of Firefox Mobile running on a Windows Mobile Professional touchscreen smartphone. In a separate screen, developers were able to run an Acid3 test with a score of 88/100. Not too shabby for a mobile browser. [The Unwired]
2:00 PM on Sun Oct 12 2008
By Jack Loftus
2,200 views,
7 comments
Latest by chickdigger802: This better be on iphone somehow >.>" (cydia anyone?) more »
iPhone Fusion
OLO Wants to Fuse the iPhone with Netbooks
For those of you out there who are too impatient for the day when iPhone-like mobiles and netbooks converge into one carry-all uber device, there's OLO. On Monday, the company will announce plans for an iPhone-powered netbook. As you can see in the image, there's all sorts of FAIL going on right now. Wrong OS for starters, so we can probably chalk this pic up to poor Photoshopping and/or planning on OLO's part. However, the company is adamant that the device is real, and coming soon. Of course, if Apple unleashes a MacBook netbook on the world this week during its MacBook event, calling the OLO device a moot point will be the understatement of the year. From the looks of the OLO web site, that may happen even if Apple decides to cancel the event and show nothing. [OLO Computer via ITWire]
1:30 PM on Sun Oct 12 2008
By Jack Loftus
4,874 views,
12 comments
Latest by gazork23: I think the biggest hurdle attempting such a device (or even trying to do this hack by yourself) would be more »
EMP Boogeyman
Green, Renewable Microgrids Protect Our Tech From EMPs, Boogeymen
Their press release reads like a speech from the 2004 GOP presidential convention, but Instant Access Networks still has some pretty cool tech up their sleeves when it comes to protecting our technology from electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). Citing one megaton nuclear bombs over Kansas and rogue terrorist states, IAN says its renewable energy-powered, EMP-protected "microgrids" are just what today's society needs to protect itself from tomorrow's unseen threats. More »
Storage
We doubt that the LaCie 5big Network storage array will one day spontaneously become self-aware and take over your office, but the visual nod to HAL is unmistakable nevertheless. And on purpose. Designer Neil Poulton said he created the array thanks to inspiration from the supercomputer at the heart of 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, aside from that all seeing eye thing on the front, this beast is all about affordable storage, not ending your life.
More »
LaCie 5Big is Slightly Less Infamous Than HAL 9000
We doubt that the LaCie 5big Network storage array will one day spontaneously become self-aware and take over your office, but the visual nod to HAL is unmistakable nevertheless. And on purpose. Designer Neil Poulton said he created the array thanks to inspiration from the supercomputer at the heart of 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, aside from that all seeing eye thing on the front, this beast is all about affordable storage, not ending your life.
More »
Rotating Plasma Screen
Drop-Down, Rotating 103-Inch Plasma Screen Video is Pure, Glorious Gadget Porn
I can't decide if it's the subtle piano playing in the background or the slow, seductive movement of this 500-lb., 103-inch plasma that's got me all hot and bothered today. I guess I could care less either way, because this dancing television is all sorts of wonderfulness. And it's practical too, as the 180-degree rotation makes any room in the crib the best seat in the house. [Ballerhouse]
Geeks In Space
Richard Garriott Reaches Orbit, Can Finally Act Out Plot of Tabula Rasa
Computer game millionaire Richard Garriott is now in orbit. At about 3 a.m., the current luckiest geek in the world blasted off in a Soyuz TMA-13 capsule alongside U.S. astronaut Michael Fincke and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov. The three will circle the Earth a few times before docking with the International Space Station on Tuesday. At that time, Garriott will conduct a series of experiments that will probably not include level grinding in his sci-fi MMORPG, Tabula Rasa. One thing Garriott and company may not be able to do when they reach the ISS? Go to the bathroom. Update: Now with video: More »
City of Ember
City of Ember: Bill Murray, Two Kids, Saving a Post-Apocalyptic City From Aging Tech
With City of Ember, a post-apocalyptic adventure tale starring Bill Murray, two kids, and some aging gadgetry, the mecca of Bill Murray gadget movies, Ghostbusters, has some good company. In Ember, Murray plays the hapless mayor of Ember, an underground city that humanity created to escape calamity in the not so distant future. Trouble is, the big honkin' generator we built to power the city was only meant to last 200 years, and now it's on the fritz, which leads to some harrowing periods of darkness as it sputters and struggles to power the city. Cue the adventure. More »
Dealzmodo
Dealzmodo: Free iPhone Games from Hudson
Hudson, makers of Bomberman and Mario Party, among others, is giving away three of their games for the iPhone platform for free. Aqua Forest, Neo Same Game, and Catch the Egg are all available at no cost for the length of the Tokyo Game Show, which means you've got until October 12th to snatch up some worthwhile freebies. [Thanks, Kevin K.!]
8:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Dan Nosowitz
13,368 views,
27 comments
Latest by elislider: "purchase of this item is not currently available" "this item is being modified". they are probably removing the free-ness because more »
Addiction
World of Warcraft player/dorkmaster supreme Prepared has caved to his smack addiction-like dependence on WoW and created 36 separate accounts that he plays simultaneously on an epically ridiculous rig. He claims to spend over $5700 per year just on the game, and plans to pick up 36 copies of the new expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King when it's released.
More »
World of Warcraft Seems Like Kind of a Silly Hobby
World of Warcraft player/dorkmaster supreme Prepared has caved to his smack addiction-like dependence on WoW and created 36 separate accounts that he plays simultaneously on an epically ridiculous rig. He claims to spend over $5700 per year just on the game, and plans to pick up 36 copies of the new expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King when it's released.
More »
Dealzmodo
Dealzmodo: Circuit City is Shipwrecked, but the Flotsam and Jetsam Have a Great Price-Match Guarantee
Circuit City's price guarantee was always a little wonky: the only prices they'd match were from local brick-and-mortar vendors, which excludes even their own online site. But sneaky tipster Kevin has caught wind that Circuit City, in the midst of crashing and/or burning, is due to accept any verifiable price, from any retailer, starting tomorrow. Even better, the prices in-store are going to match those of CC's online site, which means some serious price cuts in-store. There's always a silver lining, am I right? [- Thanks, Kevin!]
6:30 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Dan Nosowitz
11,293 views,
50 comments
Latest by mergedwarrior: Can I Price match to the internets now?! more »
Songs of love
