Gizmodo: cool

Little Ionic Winds Stop Laptops From Burning Body Parts

Andi Wang — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:00:00 EDT

We first heard about ionic winds cooling down computers by 250% in 2007. Two years later, Tessera—a chip-packing company—has modified the technology so that it would fit into a working laptop.

How ionic winds differ from typical cooling system is that by ionizing the air and passing it over a processor chip, the ionized air increased airflow on the surface, thus creating a cooling breeze over a hot microprocessor (as illustrated above).

Apparently, Tessera's cooling system not only consumes half as much power as other conventional laptop fans, but also can eliminate up to 30% more heat as well. It's pretty much the same technology from a couple years ago, yet reduced in size to fit your personal, portable needs. [Technology Review via BBG]

The Perfect MacBook Mini: Leak, Concept, or Fake, We Love It Anyway

Jesus Diaz — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EDT

I don't know what this is and I don't care. It may be a MacBook Mini concept. Or a crazy leak. Or just a perfect fake. Whatever. It's beautiful. I want. [Updated with pictures].

According to a 9to5 reader, this perfect rendering, photoshop, or whatever the hell it is came inside a Russian magazine. My knowledge of Russian doesn't go beyond "hey, wanna dance?", "cheers," and "you have beautiful blue eyes, let's go back to mine" so I don't have a clue about what this page is saying. If you speak the language of Dostoyevsky, drop me a line because I want to know.

Whatever they claim it is, I don't care. It just looks too good and perfect to be true—which is why I want it to be real: It's exactly as I can imagine it will be. And with the perfect, dream technical specs to boot:

• 10.4" WXGA display.
• 1280 x 768 pixel with LED backlighting.
• NVIDIA MCP79
• Intel Atom Z740 1.83GHz with 1MB L2 cache.
• 2GB DDR3-800.
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
• 64GB Solid State Drive.
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n
• 1 x USB 2.0
• 1 x Mini Display Port
• Battery Li-Ion 5100mA

Update: Added comparison shot with a Mac Book Air

According to them, it will come sometime in 2009 for $899. You know, delivered to your door by ten flying Russian mail order brides, all of them virgin. Or something like that. [9to5]

The Complete Animated History of the Internet

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:00:01 EST

The complete, comprehensive history of the Internet from 1957 to 2009, in just 8 minutes. Best video you are going to see all day. OK, best video that doesn't involve purple tentacles, lubricant, and boobs.

Lighters Will Blend, But Also Ultimately Pwn "Will It Blend" Blender

Elaine Chow — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:30:00 EST

Will lighters blend? Yes, they will. And the explosive results, filmed in slo-mo, have finally warmed me up to this otherwise inscrutable internet meme. Good thing we didn't try this at the Giz Gallery! [Kotaro269]

Samsonite OBAG Is Best-Looking Suitcase Ever, or Lightcycle Wheel Replacement

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Too bad the Samsonite OBAG, a rolling bag designed by Rooz Mousavi, is not a real product. Not only is it easier to maneuver and move up and down the stairs, it also looks better than any other suitcase we have ever seen and it can work as a replacement wheel for a Tron lightcycle. As a bonus, it opens like an atomic bomb core that only Jack Bauer can deactivate.

Samsonite, listen up: We want this. [Yanko Design]

Back to the Future Hoverboard Auction Starts at $30,000

Jesus Diaz — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The original hoverboard used by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future 2 is finally on the auction block, starting at $30,000. If you have that kind of money around, prepare more because this prop—made of wood and metal, including original stickers, textured paint job, and the hole left by the handlebar that Marty McFly pulls at the beginning of the chase sequence— may reach $50,000 according to the seller.

957. Michael J. Fox “Marty Mcfly” hero Mattel hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II & Part III. (Universal Pictures, 1989, 1990) This is one of the hero Mattel Hoverboards used by Michael J. Fox in his most famous role as “Marty McFly” in the Robert Zemeckis classic 80s trilogy, Back to the Future. Two styles of Hoverboard were made for and employed in the film – lightweight boards of styrofoam construction and thick and durable wood-based props – this example is the latter, and is recognized as the best example of all wood Hoverboards to have survived the rigors of filming. The illusion of Michael J. Fox as “Marty McFly” hovering through the air was achieved with practical effects, with actors in rigged harnesses being “flown” via cranes, with special effects taking care of the rest.

Of the two styles of props used in the film, the styrofoam examples in collections today have not held up as well, given the more fragile nature of the material and the abuse they endured in production. Few wood examples have survived, and the collector who obtained this specimen from the prop master chose this for his personal collection as the premiere example of those preserved following the film. It is in used but outstanding condition, and is very rare in that it is entirely complete and intact. Given the wood build and use of metal components, it looks and feels like a “real” prop. This piece has the complete fully functional and rear ballbearing-mounted footpad that rotates 360 degrees, as well as the bottom “magnet plates”. Of the two styles of stickers used for the effects, this prop has the “photoboard”-style sticker affixed. In addition, there is other textured styling and hand painting. This Hoverboard also features the hole in the top, representing where the handlebars were that “Marty” pulled off after borrowing the “toy” from the little girl in the film. $30000 - $50000

Seriously, I know Back to Future forwards and backwards after seeing it too many times to count, but paying $30,000 to $50,000 for this, which is not even one of a kind? I mean, if it were Marilyn Monroe's used underpants I would understand, but a piece of wood that doesn't fly? What kind of crazy-bordering-the-retarded fanboy would actually waste such an stupidly high amount of money in a pink non-flying Mattel hoverboard?

OK, I admit it. I don't have the money. [eBay Live Auctions — Thanks Michael]

Korean Scientists Closer To Fusion?

Matt Hickey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:00:55 EDT

Korean scientists are one step further in reaching sustainable fusion reactors. In an experiment for the National Fusion Research Institute, scientists were able to achieve a form of supercharged plasma for 249 milliseconds, almost two and a half times longer than they had anticipated. It's a new form of plasma that can be used to generate electricity in a manner similar to conventional nuclear plants but with far less radioactive waste. We think that's cool. So do bears. [Korea Times]

Video: Exoskeleton Helps Paralyzed Man Walk For First Time In Twenty Years

Matt Hickey — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:40:00 EDT

One of the coolest realms of technology currently transitioning from sci-fi to practical is that of exoskeletons. Above is an astonishing video of one such device in action, a medical model that helps a quadriplegic man walk for the first time in 20 years. The exoskeletons are still in development, with the one in the video a prototype that's about to undergo US trials. If this is what an early model can do, can you imagine where we'll be in 10 years with the technology? Here's hoping the FDA finds a way to speed these through approval. [Medgadget]

Double-Amputee on Cheetah Blades Fails to Qualify For the Olympics

Matt Hickey — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:40:00 EDT

Oscar Pistorius, double-amputee with carbon-fiber "cheetah" blades, failed to qualify for the Olympics. He just missed the needed time in the 400 meter of 45.55 seconds, though it should be noted he posted a new personal best of 46.25. [New Scientist Tech, via Engadget]

Das Ultimate Keyboard is Too Cool for Key Legends

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:54:00 EDT

We all laughed at that key legend-less leather keyboard the other day, didn't we? Metadot, the makers of the new Ultimate Keyboard didn't: it also skips all that troublesome bother of having labeled keys. Presumably it's in the name of coolness, since the whole thing looks pretty slick and has precision-engineered, gold-plated switches that click like the legendary IBM Model M. There's also twin USB ports, obligatory blue LED lights and a 6-foot black cable. And it'll cost you $129. If you're not the expert touch-typing sort, there's the original Professional version, which has labels where they're meant to be. [Product page via Technabob]

LED Bath Tiles: Either a Very Good Or Very Bad Idea

Matt Hickey — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:03:43 EDT

The idea of LED illuminated tiles is a good one in theory, but I'm afraid it'll end up like fiber optic lighting and Bluetooth headsets in that people with no taste will take it over, ruining it for the rest of us. The waterproof tiles snap together Lego style and have a repeating connectivity scheme, much like model train tracks, except these light up and illuminate your kitchen or bathroom. And the layouts aren't static, they can be changed at a whim. I'm hoping that some people exercise restraint if these ever come to market. [Dvice]

Girl Spins On Escalator Thanks to Physics or Magic

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:40:00 EDT

There are moments in which, for whatever reason, being it a scientific discovery, a voyage into the unknown, or somebody's excessive alcohol intake, humanity advances one step forward into its destiny, a final state of clarity and peace that will take us all to the stars. This moment complies with the three reasons. Ah, you Ms. Spinning Blonde in Jeans you. We love you.

3D GIFs Made from Old Stereo Cards Are Stupidly Simple, Effective

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:46:00 EDT

Joshua Heineman is obsessed with old stereo cards, those old photographs from the 19th century that contained two different views of the same subject to give the illusion of depth. He converts them into pseudo-3D GIF images that can be seen without glasses, on your monitor. The method is extremely simple, and while the jerking result may seem silly, surprisingly, it works:

Johsua just gets his images from the New York Public Library, and combines them into a single two-frame GIF animation, which quickly flicks between two frames. [Cursive Buildings]

Wireless Pong Between Multiple iPhones, iPod Touch

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:45:00 EDT

This has to be the coolest implementation of Pong ever: load the iPong application in two or three iPods touch units or iPhones, and start playing between them using your finger, with the ball actually passing from one screen to the other depending on the ball angle.

The software was made by Mr. Kondo—a colleague of Ryo Shimizu, CEO of Ubiquitous Entertainment—in an hour. We don't know if it will make its way to the iTunes store as a commercial product, but I hope it inspires other developers to use this kind of competitive—or collaborative—gameplay. [Asiajin via [Technabob]

R2-D2 and C-3PO Easter Egg in LEGO Indiana Jones

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Reader LindsayJoy just received her Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb LEGO set, complete with snakes, the Lost Ark, snakes, Marion, snakes, Indy, snakes (I hate snakes,) and a special piece we didn't notice the first time we saw the first production set photos: a piece with the hieroglyphic engravings of R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Well of Souls, just like in the movie. [Update: actually, not like in the movie. As a reader has pointed out in the comments, it's Leia putting the Death Star plans in R2-D2 as C-3PO watches, like at the beginning of A New Hope.]

Most big fans of the series and Star Wars know that both R2-D2 and C-3PO appear in several occasions in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the Well of Souls, which is the moment portrayed by this set, they appear in a post on Indy's right as him and Sallah remove the Ark.

Great detail from LEGO and good catch by Lindsay. [Thanks Lindsay]

Cool G108 Watch Phone Won't Make You Cool

Haroon Malik — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:24:00 EDT

It's sad but true; wearing a watch phone isn't going to make you cool, not unless your name begins in "Dick" and ends in "Tracy." Nevertheless, the crew at Cool have put together the G108 watch phone to try and sway you. The G108 has a round face and a clamshell design; under the watch-face hood you'll get a 1.5-inch, 256k color display (128 x 60), circular RAZR-esque keypad and a 1.3MP camera.

If you'd feel like a bit of an idiot talking into your watch while making calls, Bluetooth functionality will allow you to hook up a headset to ease the embarrassment, (a little.) The cellphone itself is GSM quadband capable, has a built in media player and supports a media card so you can load up your tunes and snaps on removable media. Alternatively, you could purchase, oh, you know, a cellphone and watch as two independent items. Hey, we're just putting the idea out there. [Slashphone]

Gigabyte's Cool Rain Memory Cooler Was Blade Runner Prop in Past Life

Haroon Malik — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EST

OK, Gigabyte's Cool Rain Memory Cooler was never featured in Blade Runner, and yes, we called it stupid overkill, but just look at it. The watercooled unit, which we mentioned earlier, can accommodate memory in dual channel form, has a radiator that flips open, uses two heat spreader units and a blue LED. If only our sneakers looked this sci-fi. (Yes, we liked LA Lights.) [Newlaunches]

Scientists Looking for the Force Finally Put CERN's Large Hadron Collider to Good Use

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:30:53 EST

CERN's scientists, the fine people who brought us the W and Z particles, anti-hydrogen atoms and ~~hyperlinked porn sites~~ web pages, are now hard at work building the Large Hadron Collider to discover something even cooler: the Force. Yes, that Force. Or like physicists call it, the Higgs boson, a particle that carries a field which interacts with every living or inert matter, which could bring us closer to understanding how the Universe works:

Most physicists believe that there must be a Higgs field that pervades all space; the Higgs particle would be the carrier of the field and would interact with other particles, sort of the way a Jedi knight in Star Wars is the carrier of the "force." The Higgs is a crucial part of the standard model of particle physics—but no one's ever found it.

In theory, when physicists turn on the tons of machinery inside the Akira-like LHC 17-mile-long ring in 2008, they will be able to produce the Higgs boson. Observing it could confirm many physicist predictions and "missing links" in the Standard Model, which is a physics theory that aims to describe how elementary particles interact with each other. It's either that or destroy the planet. We can go either way (actually, although it was a joke, CERN just wrote back saying that they don't want to destroy the planet. Thankfully, Jeff Vader doesn't work there.)

The existence of the Higgs particle, also called the God Particle, has only been predicted so far. It was first proposed by University of Edinburgh physicist Peter Higgs in 1965, after coming from a walk on the mountains. If confirmed by the LHC, it could bring scientists closer to the Grand Unified Theory, "which seeks to unify three of the four fundamental forces."

The Force can also explain why the fourth, gravity, is weak compared to the other three: electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force. I guess the strong force is the good one and the weak force is really the Dark Side. I don't know. I'm lost now, so I'm just going to list other of the cool stuff that the LHC will produce: strangelets, micro black holes, magnetic monopoles and supersymmetric particles.

Now, the only question left after they discover the real Force that bind us all is: do they have a canteen at the LHC? And if so, is it run by Jeff Vader or Mr. Stevens? [CERN, Wikipedia, National Geographic via The Force.net — all photos copyright CERN and Flickr]

Yes, again. Because I can't have enough of that clip.

Real-World Calvin Builds Snow Machine, Creates Backyard Mountain Overnight

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:33:12 EST

Forest Pearson is a 10-year-old who saved $500 to build a snow-making machine from scratch. Forest Pearson is also our hero, who will probably grow to build a 100-person Jacuzzi on top of Everest. This real-world Calvin put together the machine using a 30-gallon air compressor and a pressure washer, with spray noozles that throw perfect snow powder. The machine may look simple in the following the image, but the results are stunning Update: now with video:

His mom said: "He's watching a molecular process happening here, he's creating a climatic event. It's incredible." I don't know what's more incredible: her mom being cool about Forest creating a huge mountain of snow in their backyard or the fact that she's talking about it all as "molecular process."

Forest, if you are reading this, contact us. Brian needs a ski slope to practice his snowboarding on in San Francisco. [Katu and Oregon Live]

iPhone Firmware 1.1.3 Video and Confirmation by iPhone Hacker

Jesus Diaz — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:05:31 EST

Here's a video of the iPhone Firmware 1.1.3, with confirmation that the leak is real from Natetrue, famed iPhone hacker. Like before, the update breaks unlocks and third-party apps, patching previous vulnerabilities at the same time. The video shows how to move icons around in the Springboard, wobbling to indicate they can be dragged and dropped around, which is kind of an Apple-meets-Nintendo touch:

We had some doubts, but now we can tell you we are sure: the new firmware 1.1.3 is real. Or as Nate puts it: "if it is a hoax, they did a buttload of work." The fact is that it installs normally and it works perfectly. For those not familiar, Natetrue is one of the most respected and veteran iPhone hackers and the author of the popular app iBrickr.

Nate goes on to say that "it installs on the phone no-questions-asked and for that you need to have Apple's private key, which i can confirm that the iphone hacker community does not have—as much as we would love to have it." Indeed, Apple's private encrypted key, used to authenticate all accesses to the iPhone most-private guts, hasn't been uncovered yet by anyone in the world.

In other words, no firmware upgrades can be installed without the knowledge of this key. Furthermore, the idea that someone would have access to this key and spend months to create a fully functional firmware update, with key new features and without any documentation whatsoever seems just absolutely silly.

Effects on unlocks and Third-party applications
The update breaks AnySim's unlocks. Logically, you can't unlock this update using AnySim and there's no alternative to iTunes for activation. If you want to activate, it will only work using iTunes and a standard AT&T account. Nate says, "that is the only way we have been able to activate so far." Nate tried to upgrade an AnySim 1.2u iPhone and it failed. Even while he was able to force it to boot, the phone refused to activate even with a normal AT&T SIM card. "I suspect it's due to the fact that the baseband could not be upgraded to the 1.1.3 'required' version", he says.

Other updates remain untested, like iPhone Sim Free or any of the hardware-based ones, like TurboSIM. In theory, these should work just fine, but jailbreak and activation would be absolutely impossible for the time being. We would have to wait until the update gets released in the open to try new alternative activation methods.

Your favorite third-party apps will be gone too, with no possibility of return for now. The update fixes the bugs which allowed "the jailbreak method we were using for 1.1.2, locking us out again, as expected."

Other effects
Like previous firmware upgrades, whatever is in the user partition remains unchanged. Only the Apple-owned part is affected by 1.1.3. So for those of you who claim that this is a fake because it says "Nate" in the network instead of "AT&T," that's the reason. He changed the network name in 1.1.2 using a program by Erica Sadun, of TUAW, called Make It Mine.

New features and future releases
The list of new features are confirmed too: all are correct, but he couldn't confirm if they are the only ones or not.

Many of you would be wondering how this could have happened, knowing the extremely tight security around the iPhone firmware updates. We don't know, but apparently the leak has occurred because "someone wanted to help the unlock effort." The source of the leak is completely anonymous, even to the people who have had access to the upgrade.

Why the update hasn't hit Torrent yet? The code could be watermarked to catch any leaks "so for now it's screenshots and videos." Also, distributing it won't make much sense at this point: according to Nate the iPhone 1.1.3 Firmware update could hit as soon as next week.

Stay tuned for more updates. [Cre.ations.net - Thanks Nate for your insight and Markus for the tip]