Apparently, the cost of converting a traditional 2-D movie into 3D is between $50,000 and $100,000 per minute. I'm sure that Lucasfilm will make their money back and then some, but is it really worth it? Does anyone care to see this or is it just another case of Lucas screwing around too much with the franchise? [Comingsoon via io9 via Wired]

St George says in the 19th century his great-grandfather, Alexander Stanhope St George, built a trans-Atlantic tunnel from London to New York which was forgotten by time. The artist discovered his great-grandfather's plans recently and using the diagrams installed parabolic mirrors at both locations that reflect what's happening 3500 miles across the pond. Now, I can't say for sure since I haven't seen the Telectroscope in person, but a picture in the gallery above suggests a more logical explanation that involves built-in webcams and broadband internet sending live video in both directions. Either way, the scope looks fantastic and I can't wait to check it out.

The Telectroscopes are on display 24/7 until June 15. New Yorkers can check out the Brits by heading to Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn; Londoners will need to head to Tower Bridge if they want their fix of spying on the Yanks. [Telectroscope via Gothamist 1, 2]

The father-and-son team of George and Peter Bubenik used an artificial moose ear that had been created by TV special effects team, and mounted a pair of antlers on top of it. A microphone and sound meter were placed in the ear canal, and a speaker set up 30 feet from the ear, which was rotated into different positions.

When a sound was played through the speaker (something by The Rasmus springs to mind) the sound meter recorded 59.5 decibels when the ear was facing the source of the sound, and 57.5 decibels when it was facing backwards. But when it was moved into a sideways position, and where the antlers worked as an amp, the level came out at 61 decibels. [Daily Mail]

Though McCartney will probably make off with the lion's share of the cash sum, Ringo Starr and the families of the late John Lennon and George Harrison will also benefit. Michael Jackson, EMI and Sony will also be paid, as they each own a share in the back catalog. McCartney may actually have to pay out a little more on his divorce settlement because of the deal. How that works is anyone's guess, but you gotta feel sorry for him; having to share all those millions is just plain malicious. When the albums will actually hit iTunes is not yet confirmed, but we'll keep you up to speed with any banging of Maxwell's silver hammer. [United Press International]

The wide-ass seats were installed during the Reagan administration.
The former cloakroom (FDR converted it into a theater in 1942) used to look like this before its revamp. Visitors must have dug that crazy juxtaposition of chintz and magnolia alongside the Bruce Willis movies.

And what speakers do POTUS and the gang get their movies piped through? Massachusetts firm Snell provides the sound. [Architectural Digest via audiojunkies and Home Theater]

Given the time frame, the planners on the Orion had even built in defense systems meant to retaliate against the Russians. This project was the first contract funded by DARPA. In this video, George also steps through passenger acceleration profiles, emergency plans if Orion failed to clear the atmosphere and the not so cool 700 rads of radiation you'd get while riding it. George's final take? If an asteroid headed for our planet, an Orion type ship is one of the only emergency plans that NASA could depend on, "off the shelf." And that's why NASA bought roughly 1700 pages of the notes he collected on Orion from him.

George has a book on Orion, but unfortunately, it's on Amazon for 80 bucks, used. [TED, Amazon]

So the IMV712 begged for another fight, requesting the biggest, baddest dock we could throw at him. And it just so happened we had one dock we couldn't include in the competition due to rumored steroid use inflating the price, the $499 Chestnut Hill Sound George.

It was the perfect unfair match-up to please our underappreciated IMV712, which is the entire reason we're not doing a head to head. Hit the jump for a more standard review of the Chestnut Hill Sound George. And we'll give you some impressions of how it stacks up to the IMV712.

DESIGN
The George...I'm sorry...the GEORGE is Chestnut Hill Sound's only product. And it's clear that there has been enough intent behind the design to base a company. It starts with a gorgeous remote based upon the Zigbee standard (think Wi-Fi with lower bandwidth). The dock downloads your entire tracklist from your iPod and sends it wirelessly to the remote. I didn't notice a delay, but a full iPod can take up to one minute to sync.
From here, the interface is flawless, as long as you like the standard iPod menus. Because the layout is copied near verbatim, the differences which include a few convenient quicktabs on the "Now Playing" screen. A clickable wheel has a solid rubbery feel, and works just like Apple's trademark minus the touch sensitivity.

The result is zero learning curve.

Plus you can scan radio, set the alarm, or activate the line in from the remote. But our favorite part? A snoozesque button on top mutes the sound. The backlit remote is good for about four hours of use, and automatically recharges on the base station.

SOUND
If the Bose Sound Dock was able to deliver on all its promises, it might be called the George. Beucase you get that Bose feeling of balance, cleanliness and resonance, but with a pile of bass that accompanies the high and mids with precision.
Listening to folk gave us guitars that could sparkle with vocals that flowed like silk. We appreciated the Griffin despite its over-performing extremes, and there may be similar element of the midrange that seems missing from the George's pop music repertoire, but when listening to classical, these tendencies pay off, offering us clean instrumentation that makes you wish some of your music was recorded at a higher bitrate.

To compare the sound quality directly to the excellent IMV712, we'd call it a hair less metallic, and much richer in the lowest ranges (tubas really hit your gut nicely). And the IMV712 is not very good at playing at the most quiet volumes, which is a non-issue for the George.

Does it sound light years ($150), better than the IMV712? In the audio world, yes. Most ears will notice a difference in that the George has a real element of sharpness and another finish of finesse in every range.

I've had both the IMV712 and the George hooked up for the past week. And I've found myself not only listening to the George more, but listening to music more because of the extreme convenience of the remote.

Call it a rich man's iPod dock, or a poor man's Sonos. But I think the George is worth its steep $499 pricetag for those looking for a compact system that can rock a room. Now if only more of us had the money lying around.

A free FX Lightsaber, according to the site. It looks like you'll get your money's worth, as the outfit is fashioned with cast iron, injection-molded pieces, ebony twill, real and faux leather, and even LEDs. Both standard and extra large sizes are available. This is really about as close as it gets to really being Vader. The only thing that's missing is a built-in stereo playing the Imperial March. [CB Swords via Luxury Launches]

Stay tuned for more All Things D coverage as our main man Brian Lam tackles All Things Mossberg. Not literally. We hope. – Wilson Rothman

"Exclusive" D5 Party Photos [All Things D]

True fans will recognize the above action figures immediately. They are based on the Fritz Lang-inspired original Star Wars concept art by Ralph McQuarrie. You can read more in the text above, but suffice it to say, I'm glad that guy is finally getting some recognition: nearly every one of his original drawings was revamped by someone else before shooting began.

Next up are the exclusive gadgets; which are a little underwhelming. I like the idea of a mechanical pen with both blue and red beams, but what would be really cool is if they were both lasers. Optics geeks, let me ask you: How far off are we from having true blue lasers in laser pointers? Or are we stuck with blue LEDs for reasons of health, energy or Sony-hoarding? And is that collectible frame superlame? Or am I missing something?

In case you want to see what else will be popping up on eBay in the days to come, you can download a very large (nearly 30MB) PDF at the page made for the open-24-hours-but-not-for-you Celebration Store. If you don't want to blow your inheritance on a collectible hoodie, there are always commemorative stamps. The US Postal Service's Star Wars 30th Anniversary stamps winner will be announced tomorrow. Yoda or Darth Vader? I vote Darth, to remind recipients of my snailmail correspondence that they should never, under any circumstances, underestimate the power of the Dark Side. – Wilson Rothman

The Official Star Wars Blog [Star Wars]

While the gold bars and circle marking your passport as a magical "e-passport" are on the front cover, the chip is embedded somewhere on the back page. To alleviate fears of skimming the chip's info, it only works within four inches of a reader—the cover contains shielding material—and the passports use Basic Access Control, which requires a printed PIN to read the chip, which seems like a pretty good idea.

That said, no one can skim my plain paper passport, which is thankfully good for another seven years. – Matt Buchanan

Stars and Stripes, Wrapped in the Same Old Blue [NYT]
The U.S. Electronic Passport [State Department]

Product Page [Via Uncrate]

The Mii Parade.

And Everybody friggin' votes. And of course, Mario playing bloody soccer. If things weren't bad enough, George Harrison, Nintendo VP of Marketing, had this to say about Nintendo's online strategy for the Wii:

"I'm confident there will be third-party titles with online game play by the end of the year."

To then add "our first online multiplayer title, 'Pokemon Battle Revolution,' will be out this summer."

I rest my case. –Jesus Diaz

When Will Nintendo Games Be Online? [Reuters]

After long nights in the lab, probably fuelled by gallons of coke, researchers at Missouri's University of Saint Louis have come up with a sugar-powered fuel cell. The battery, that runs on anything from soft drinks to tree sap, has the potential to run up to four times as long on a single charge than conventional lithium ion batteries, as demonstrated by one of the boffins, who used a battery the size of a postage stamp to run a calculator.

If subsequent testing looks good, then we could be seeing commercialization within five years. But what really amazes me about this story is that the research was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. I'm looking forward to hearing about how meringues will be used in the War on Terror, feeding up Al-Qaeda terrorists with sweet treats until they are too fat to fire an RPG. – Ad Dugdale

Scientists Invent Fuel Cell Powered By Sugar [I4U News]

More pics, after the jump.

Check out the site for more pics and designs for a half-grill and full grill. Looks like the PS3 is more versatile than we thought. – Charlie White

The Real PS3 Grill [James Kingham & Brendan Foley, via Born Rich]

They're a bit bigger than binoculars at 11 inches wide, but tell the prez they're secret terrorist-spotting field glasses and he'll probably want to take a peek. Available later this month in Japan, they'll be $115. – Charlie White

Sony SRS-BTM30 Bluetooth Speakers [Newlaunches]

The iGrill can be found online for around $100. I, for one, welcome the impeding cholesterol crisis that's about to be experienced by computer-holics 'round the country. – Nicholas Deleon

UPDATE The iGrill isn't real so stop with the hateful e-mails. Between the readers and rival bloggers teasing me about "falling for it" (omglol!!1), I think I get the point. Obrigado.

Product Page [ThinkGeek via Crowdedbrain]

Prove your dedication to the Queen and England by sporting these, then watch your mates go green with envy. Either that, or steal them from you. Damn hooligans.

Product Site

St. George's iPod nano case and England earphones [Tech Digest]

Email attributed by tipster to "friend at the EPA" after the jump.

This is from a friend at the EPA:

We're naming it Lake George, 'cause it's his frickin fault. Have you seen all that data about the levee projects' funding being cut over the past three years by the Prez, and the funding transferred to Iraq?
The levee, as designed, might not have held back the surge from a direct Class 5 hit, but it certainly would not have crumbled on Monday night from saturation and scour erosion following a glancing blow from a Class 3. The failure was in a spot that had just been rebuilt, not yet compacted, not planted, and not armed (hardened with rock/concrete). The project should have been done two years ago, but the federal gov't diverted 80% of the funding to Iraq. Other areas had settled by a few feet from their design specs, and the money to repair them was diverted to Iraq.

The NO paper raised hell about this time and again, to no avail. And who will take the blame for it? The Army Corps, because they're good soldiers and will never contradict the C in C. But Corps has had
massive budget cuts across all departments (including wetland regulatory) since Bush took office, and now we've reaped what was sown. It really pisses me off to see the Corps get used by the Administration to shield Bush — they do great work when they're funded. This was senseless, useless death caused not by nature but by budget decisions.

The IMate JASJAR formerly known as HTC Universal [Ubergizmo]