Mark Wilson

Prisoners Use N64 Rumble Packs For Tattooing

Not being well-versed in the areas of our penal system…our collective penal system… we had no idea that the N64 rumble pack was huge with prison tattoo artists. A maximum security prison guard recently wrote our sister site Kotaku, and here’s what he had to say: It is actually pretty easy. There are no workshops…

YouTube to Auto Block Content by Fall

While YouTube has already been running fingerprint technology in beta for companies like Disney, a Google lawyer said Friday that video filters should be in place by September, and if not then by fall. Automated technology is, of course, the only way to police vast amounts of uploaded material. But it’s disheartening to see Google…

Apple Patents Text-to-Speech Messaging

In a recent patent filing “Multimedia data transfer for a personal communication device,” Apple is offering text messages without the GSM SMS protocol, or even the need to read. While SMS requires an intermediary server between sender and receiver, Apple’s patent has a sender’s device convert text messages to an audio signal with this audio…

Doom 3 Case Mod, Old As Hell, Cool as Hell

We showed you the brilliant Doom 3 case mod over a year ago, but due to the magic of YouTube, we finally have video of the mod and its fast-forwarded construction. I love a good construction montage—it makes me feel like I’m getting a lot done, even when I’m just perusing the Internet video. So…

Spike Your Espresso, Literally

For those who need an extra jolt in the morning, this Saeco Etienne Louis espresso machine is happy to oblige. Constructed of steel with aluminum spikes, the sphere actually hides a compartment to heat water, combining form and function brilliantly (kill, caffeinate, repeat). And while the espresso maker only pumps out one to two cups…

Joker Mobile Revealed? We Think So.

Guess what we got today from an anonymous Chicago tipster…pictures that we believe to be of the Joker car from the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. And we immediately realized that it’s not a car at all. It’s a freakin’ semi. Good call on the Joker’s part, going all Terminator 2 with the setup…

Sony PS2/PSP Patent, Portable Gaming Less on Portable, More on Gaming

A Sony patent has just been unearthed for a device that combines the PSP with a Dual Shock PS2 controller, allowing for better, more comfortable control when playing the PSP. The connection could be wired or wireless, the PSP could be tilted for viewing angle and an external processing unit could even add additional functionality.…

Fantachrome Paint, Insta-Chrome

Chroming is an expensive industrial process that requires resources that are beyond most of our time, budgets and attention spans. But what if you could just spray a coat of chrome onto you favorite object? Now. You. Can. Fantachrome, while not really chrome, is a spray-on, water-based paint that adds a layer of metal to…

World’s Largest Revolver Makes You a “Big Gun”

We’ve seen the world’s smallest revolver already, and the Pfeifer Zeliska is the world’s largest according to Guinness World Records. At over four feet in length, Zeliska copied the Remington model 1859…a bit bigger than it was produced the first time. If only Crocodile Dundee were still making movies to see it. “Watch out, he’s…

Embotec Magnet Keyboard Floats Keys

Embotec has just revealed a new concept keyboard that breaks the mold of traditional typing devices, accepting the crush of our fingers with either a spring or rubber base. Instead, the Magnet Keyboard levitates the keys from the board, and regulates the levitation through electromagnetism. The advantage here is that the keyboard is able to…

Shadow Hand, As Good As The Real Thing

When we die and are reincarnated as robots, we will all have Shadow Hands. An advanced limb developed mostly for researchers, the Shadow Hand provides 24 unique movements, or 1:1 movement to a real human hand. These movements are spurred by 40 independent muscles, which are extremely cool. Much like our own muscle tissue, the…

Intel is looking for software engineers “for a revolutionary graphics product” to create “shock-and-awe launch demos.” [theinquirer]

Shoe Pure 100, Glowy Smell Protection

Sweaty feet + shoes = smelly. The Shoe Pure 100 hopes to…balance that equation…by drying out your shoes to prevent bacterial/fungal growth. Shaped like an egg, the Shoe Pure unfolds to reveal two drying hooks. Place your sweaty shoes on, and warm ozone will dry them in about 30 minutes. But what about that light—is…

Xbox 360 HD DVD Price Cut, Free Movies Added

Today at Comic Con, Microsoft announced that their Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on would drop $20 to $179. We guess they mean “at all retailers” because we’ve seen that price before. In addition, buyers between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 will be able to pick five free movies—though out of a collection of just 15…

Device Never Loses Your Cell, Though Maybe It Should

One Japanese company is developing a device to help with those moments (because you were drunk) that you might not remember (due to drunkeness) that you set down your phone (to hold another drink) and forgot to pick it up (surprisingly, just due to a general poor memory). The device fits in your pocket and…

Bose Sound Dock Vs. Altec Lansing IM7 Vs. Altec Lansing IMV712

In our final match of round 2 in our iPod Bracket Battle, we have the three most expensive systems left. The Altec Lansing “boombox” IM7 faces off against the Bose Sound Dock…while battling the hi-fi slayer, the Altec Lansing IMV712. The winner of this match very well could be the winner of the entire competition.…

Computer Learns Baby Talk, Pacifies Programmers

Stanford researchers have developed a program that can, at a most basic level, learn language. In studying whether the brain is hard-wired with preset sounds or if it acquires the basics of speech dynamically, a computer program was designed to learn speech. After listening to hours of Japanese and English mother-to-baby talk, the computer was…

Toshiba, Fujitsu, NEC are 32nm SuperTeam!

In order to keep up with the competition, Toshiba, Fujitsu and NEC have announced a partnership to develop 32nm chips. Starting in 2010, they hope to have a joint operating plant to develop high powered chips for televisions and various home electronics. Wow, these three companies sound like one hell of a superteam, until you…

Oppo Blast PMP Loves FLV

The Oppo Blast is one sexy PMP. At only 6.9mm thick, its waistline is identical to an iPod nano’s. But the Blast has a few tricks up its sleeve… On top of standard MP3/WMA/MP4/AVI/Lossless audio support, the Blast will play flash video, XVID and animated gifs—yes, animated gifs—the best of Web 2.0 in your hand!…

AMD’s New Chips Leak

AMD has been surprisingly quiet with their 65nm chips, and now we might know why. The company seems to be having problems with leakage in their new processors, a common problem with shrinking components, where electricity can literally burrow out of a semiconductor and even blow entire circuits. Hit the link for the test results…