Videos: The Future of Media

"It is the best of times, it is the worst of times."

About two years ago, I saw a video called 'Epic 2014', it talked about the 'Evolving Personalized Information Construct'. At the time it was a very powerful video, it also made some wild predictions about what the 'media scape' might look like (such as Googlezon [Google/Amazon merged]).

Below is the updated sequel to the original video, with a slightly different prediction of the future.



Like the previous video, this one contains some imaginative guesses at what the Web and media could look like in the next 40-50 years. According to the predictions from the video Google will buy Microsoft, Amazon will buy Yahoo, and Second Life becomes the dominant virtual world.

Photos: The gadget days of summer

ZDNet has created a very interesting photo gallery of cool gadgets of summer. You will see things like the Auto Mower from Husqvarna, or the Solaire line of infrared grills from Rasmussen. There's also UVB detecting stickers for you toddler, 75-Mile Range Thunderstorm Detector, and more.

Article: GDrive “Platypus” still in development

ZDNet.com reports: "Do you remember GDrive (also known as Platypus)? Well it looks like it’s in development and still being used internally at Google. How do I know? Wakoopa says so. “Scoops” noticed several Google employees have the Wakoopa application tracker installed on their machines — giving us a window into what their computers run from day to day. I have verified the users listed on this page either currently work for Google or have at some point in the past."

I have not seen a lot of information on the GDrive (Google's on-line storage service) in a long time but here is one update that I found.

Videos: Easy Science Experiments

Below are some great science experiments that you can do with your kids, using stuff that you can find around the home. Marshall Brain (web site) created these and posted them on the web for your viewing pleasure.

What do yeast like to eat?


Electromagnets


Make Your Own Ice Cream


Insulation


How much sugar is in a can of soda

Article: FBI tries to fight zombie hordes

BBC reports: "The FBI is contacting more than one million PC owners who have had their computers hijacked by cyber criminals. ... The initiative is part of an ongoing project to thwart the use of hijacked home computers, or zombies, as launch platforms for hi-tech crimes. "

I applaud the FBI for taking this action, and having the foresight to realize that it can also be exploited by fraudsters to steal your personal information. Here is a excerpt from the FBI press release on how they will handle the situation: "The FBI will not contact you online and request your personal information so be wary of fraud schemes that request this type of information, especially via unsolicited emails. To report fraudulent activity or financial scams, contact the nearest FBI office or police department, and file a complaint online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov.

If you want more information about Botnets here is article from Wikipedia about it.

Video: Best Space Battles (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and More)

What happens if Battlestar Galactica went against an Imperial Cruiser (Star Wars)? Or how about Battlestar Galactica vs Imperial Cruisers vs. ships from the Star Trek and Babylon 5 universe? Its computer graphic madness...

Battlestar Galactica Vs Star Wars



Battlestar Galactica Vs Star Wars Vs Star Trek Vs Babylon 5


As a bonus, I have included some other funny Star Wars based videos...

Star Wars Orchestra


Monty Python - Black Knight Skit (Star Wars Parody)

Video: What is Your Day Job? (San Diego Comic Con)

Big Time Attic journeys through the San Diego Comic Con, boldly asking costumed heroes about their day jobs. Includes annual con favorites like Black Superman, Drag Queen Supergirl, Elvis Trooper and Monkey Woman from "Who Wants To Be A Superhero"

Video: The New Shining Trailer

What if the movie 'The Shining' was a lighthearted drama. Here is a trailer to show you what it would look like.

A T-REX For Your Home or Office

Triebold Paleontology, Inc. offers "The famous 'Peck's Rex' Tyrannosaurus rex is now available to amaze your visitors! At 42 feet in length and 13 feet in height at the hips, Peck's Rex is the second largest T. rex in existence." You can own one for only (US)$95,000.

Article: Intel readies massive multicore processors

News.com reports: "Last year, Intel showed off a prototype chip with 80 computing cores. While the semiconductor world took note of the achievement, the practical questions immediately arose: Will the company come out with a multicore chip with x86 cores? (The prototype doesn't have them.) Will these chips run existing software and operating systems? How do you solve data traffic, heat and latency problems?"

First we had dual core CPUs, now we have quad core CPUs. Intel has a processor with 80 cores. My questions is when will we have enough logical cores on a single physical processor?

Article: Google's Advertising Footprint

Want to know how much of the advertising market in different categories Google controls? Check out this article.

Article: How a Motherboard is Made

ExtremeTech reports: "About ten years ago, I was given a tour of a Visioneer scanner factory in San Jose. Even though I knew that only global companies like Toyota could essentially afford to build a car through an almost entirely automated process, I was nevertheless amazed at how many people were required to actually assemble a scanner. And I'm not talking about management, but hands-on 'put this widget there' assembly. ... What's interesting is that in a decade, how little has changed."

Favorite Sign...

This has to be one of the best signs available.

Video: Will Dogs Take Over the World?

Video: Sony's Flexible OLED

Sony presented their new OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) display which is only 0.3mm thick and is flexible. You can see how the man presenting it is bending it and how the movie is still visible and still played.

You can really appreciate the potential (i.e.: low power requirements, no back lights, etc.) of OLED display after watching this video. This technology has a million applications, from super-thin TV, to laptops, to other portable devices.

Video: Top Gear - Richard Hammond's Car Accident

If you're a Top Gear fan, you might want to check out Richard Hammond's car accident. If you don't know what Top Gear, it worth checking out this video. Basically Richard is driving a jet powered car with 5,000-10,000 horse power, then guess what happens.

I am not going to ruin the video for you.

Video: History of Video Games (Extended Edition)

Extended Edition of a video called "History of Video Games 1972-2007".

List of games (* = newly added):

• 1972 Pong (Atari, Arcade)
• 1980 Space Invaders (Atari, Atari 2600)
• 1980 Defender (Williams, Arcade)
• 1980 Adventure (Atari, Atari 2600)*
• 1981 Pac-Man (Namco, Arcade)
• 1981 Ultima (California Pacific, Apple II)
• 1981 Frogger (Konami, Atari 2600)
• 1982 Pitfall (Atari, Atari 2600)
• 1983 Centipede (Atari, Atari 2600)*
• 1983 Pole Position (Atari, Atari 2600)*
• 1983 Microsoft Flight Simulator (Microsoft, PC)*
• 1984 Donkey Kong (Nintendo, NES)
• 1984 King's Quest (Sierra, PC)
• 1985 Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NES)
• 1985 Duck Hunt (Nintendo, NES)
• 1986 Bubble Bobble (Taito, Arcade)
• 1986 The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, NES)*
• 1986 Space Quest (Sierra, PC)*
• 1986 Metroid (Nintendo, NES)*
• 1987 Leisure Suit Larry (Sierra, PC)
• 1987 Final Fantasy (Nintendo, NES)
• 1987 Afterburner (Sega, Arcade)
• 1987 Castlevania (Konami, NES)*
• 1987 Maniac Mansion (LucasArts, PC)*
• 1987 Mega Man (Capcom, NES)*
• 1988 Double Dragon (Tradewest, NES)
• 1988 Battle Chess (Interplay, PC)
• 1989 Prince of Persia (Broderbund, PC)
• 1989 Tetris (Nintendo, Nintendo Gameboy)
• 1989 SimCity (Maxis, PC)
• 1989 Golden Axe (Sega, Arcade)
• 1990 Commander Keen (ID Software, PC)
• 1990 Secret of Monkey Island (LucasArts, PC)
• 1991 Civilization (Microprose, PC)*
• 1991 Micro Machines (NES, Codemasters)*
• 1991 Lemmings (Psygnosis, PC)
• 1991 Out of this World (Delphine Software, PC)*
• 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, Sega Genesis)
• 1991 Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo, SNES)
• 1992 Sensible Soccer (Sensible Software, PC)*
• 1992 Dune II (Westwood Studios, PC)*
• 1992 Wolfenstein 3D (ID Software, PC)
• 1992 Flashback (Delphine Software, PC)*
• 1992 Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis (LucasArts, PC)
• 1992 Super Mario Kart (Nintendo, SNES)
• 1992 Alone in the Dark (Infogrames, PC)*
• 1992 Street Fighter II (Capcom, SNES)
• 1992 Mortal Kombat (Midway, Sega Genesis)
• 1992 Minesweeper (Windows Desktop Game)
• 1993 Sam & Max Hit the Road (LucasArts, PC)
• 1993 Doom (ID Software, PC)
• 1993 Myst (Broderbund, PC)
• 1993 FIFA Soccer '94 (Electronic Arts, Sega Genesis)
• 1993 SimCity 2000 (Maxis, PC)*
• 1994 The Settlers (Blue Byte Software, PC)*
• 1994 Earthworm Jim (Shiny Entertainment, Sega Genesis)
• 1994 Need for Speed (Electronic Arts, 3DO)
• 1994 Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo, SNES)*
• 1994 Worms (Ocean, PC)*
• 1995 Command & Conquer (Westwood Studios, PC)
• 1995 Rayman (Ubisoft, Atari Jaguar)
• 1995 Daytona USA (Sega, Sega Saturn)*
• 1995 Virtua Fighter (Sega, Sega Saturn)
• 1995 Ridge Racer (Namco, Playstation)*
• 1995 Tekken (Namco, Sony Playstation)
• 1996 Tomb Raider (Eidos Interactive, Sony Playstation)
• 1996 Quake (ID Software, PC)
• 1996 Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, Nintendo 64)
• 1996 Resident Evil (Capcom, Playstation)*
• 1996 Dead or Alive (Tecmo, Arcade)*
• 1997 Ultima Online (Origin, PC)*
• 1997 Age of Empires (Microsoft, PC)*
• 1998 Unreal (Epic Games, PC)*
• 1998 Half-Life (Sierra, PC)*
• 1998 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, Nintendo 64)*
• 2000 The Sims (Maxis, PC)
• 2000 Crazy Taxi (Sega, Sega Dreamcast)*
• 2001 Halo (Bungie Studios, Xbox)
• 2001 Grand Theft Auto III (Rockstar Games, Playstation 2)
• 2002 WarCraft III (Blizzard, PC)*
• 2003 Call of Duty (Activision, PC)*
• 2004 Wario Ware Inc. (Nintendo, Nintendo Gamecube)*
• 2004 Rome Total War (Sega, PC)
• 2005 World of Warcraft (Blizzard, PC)
• 2005 God of War (SCEA, Playstation)*
• 2005 Guitar Hero (Red Octane, Playstation 2)*
• 2006 Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix, Playstation 2)
• 2006 FIFA Soccer '07 (Electronic Arts, Xbox 360)
• 2007 Gears of War (Microsoft, Xbox 360)
• 2006 Wii Sports (Nintendo, Nintendo Wii)
• 2006 Viva Pinata (Microsoft, Xbox 360)*
• 2007 MotorStorm (Sony, Sony Playstation 3)

Video: Steam Trek: The Moving Picture (Star Trek Parody)

From YouTube: "In Space, no-one can hear you!" Classic sci-fi as it might have been done 100 years ago by George Melies. (This version cut to fit YouTube restrictions - full version is on my website at www.sisterson.co.uk.)

Video: Photosynth (Amazing technology)

From the site: "Using photos of oft-snapped subjects (like Notre Dame) scraped from around the Web, Photosynth creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation. Its architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, shows it off in this standing-ovation demo. "

Want to try out Photosynch for yourself, go to: http://labs.live.com/photosynth

Article: If It's Not Tennis Elbow, It May Be "Wiiitis"

PC Magazine reports: "When Dr. Julio Bonis awoke one Sunday morning with a sore shoulder, he could not figure out what he had done. It felt like a sports injury, but he had been a bit of a couch potato lately.
... Then he remembered his new Wii."

First they diagnosed 'Space Invaders wrist' in 1981. Then in 1990 they called 'Nintendinitis', which is exactly like 'Space Invaders wrist' with a different name. Both of these aliments describe a sharp cramp that is caused by playing video games for too long.

Now in 2007 we have 'Wiiitis', which is just another name for sore muscles caused by actually doing something with your body rather then sitting... :-)

Soviet-Era Arcade Games Crawl Out of Their Cold War Graves

Wired reports: "If American teenagers during the Cold War ever stopped to consider how their Eastern bloc counterparts spent the weekend, they probably imagined dreary groups of Red Youth robotically singing hymns to Soviet wheat production and discussing the glories of socialist brotherhood from Hanoi to Havana."

Its interesting to see some of these Russian video games. I never heard of them until I read this article. Make sure to check out the gallery.

Article: Gonzales proposes new crime: 'Attempted' copyright infringement | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

CNET News.com: "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pressing the U.S. Congress to enact a sweeping intellectual-property bill that would increase criminal penalties for copyright infringement, including 'attempts' to commit piracy."

This is just scary legislation...

The iPhone is Coming... (June 29)

Its official, the Apple iPhone is coming June 29. In fact Apple and AT&T has just release three new iPhone commercials (called "Calamari" "How To", and "Never Been an iPod"). They're all available for viewing on Apple's web site.

Video: Richard Dawkins Talks About our Bizarre Universe (TEDTalks)

Richard Dawkins is Oxford University's "Professor for the Public Understanding of Science." In this talk, titled, "Queerer Than We Suppose: The strangeness of science," he suggests that the true nature of the universe eludes us, because the human mind evolved only to understand the "middle-sized" world we can observe. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 22:42) - More TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com.

Video: The Future of Civilization

Theoretical physicist and 2057 host Michio Kaku speculates on the future of civilization. The questions is will we survive? Watch the video to find out what I am talking about.

Video: How To Make Instant Hot Ice (using Sodium Acetate)

Create liquid that radiates heat and turns solid if something touches it. For more information on Sodium Acetate.

Video: First Time Machine (Discovery)

Here is a a clip taken from the Discovery Channel documentary 'The First Time Machine'. It is very interesting, but I have heard a similar theory based on 'worm holes'.

The way the machine works is that it allows a portal to be opened from the time it is turned on. So in theory it would be possible information or matter to be brought back from the future to the time that the machine was first turned on.

Interesting theory, but then we have to deal with the consequences of time paradoxes.

Video: Eurocopter BO-105 (An Amazing Helicopter)

Here is a Eurocopter BO-105 CBS 4 Twin engine helicopter, with a stock Rigid Rotor system which allows it to do the aerobatics.

Article: Mac Coming into Focus As Attack Target

eWeek reports: "There haven't been mass Mac exploits to date, but interest is growing, as evidenced by the quick turnout of exploit code for a recently disclosed vulnerability."

I wonder if Macs may need anti-virus and anti-malware software pretty soon?

Video: Saltwater into fire 2 (John Kanzius)

John Kanzius discovered that his radio frequency generator could release the oxygen and hydrogen from saltwater and create an incredibly intense flame. For more information check out this web site.

Hands on With 'Microsoft Surface': The Coffee-Table PC - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

PC Magazine reports: "Microsoft has been looking beyond the desktop for sometime now, but with the launch of 'Milan,' the company is showing the potential for so-called 'surface computing' to revolutionize everything from retail kiosks to the common coffee table. At its core, Milan is a PC running Windows Vista, but don't expect to use it with a keyboard and mouse. Instead, Milan uses a touch-sensitive display that enables multiple users to navigate the system's interface."

Hopefully one day I will be able to own one...

Google Gears Allows Offline Web Development

eWeek reports: "At Google's Developer Day event on May 31, the company is expected to announce Google Gears, an open-source technology for creating offline Web applications, said Bret Taylor, head of Google developer programs."

It seems like offline web applications are going to be the next hot technology that companies like Google and others that are going to be pushing it. Firefox 3 is also going to support offline web applications.

Article: Google, Microsoft Mapping Software Gets Real

PC Magazine reports: "Google and Microsoft returned from the holiday weekend poised to battle it out on the mapping front with updates that utilize 3-D and 360-degree virtual tour technology."

This is really impressive technology, here is an example of Google's technology. To try Microsoft's Maps Live.com technology you will need to install a special plug-in in your browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox).

Steampunk Keyboard Mod

Steampunk Keyboard Mod: "My goal with this project was to build a retro keyboard that was fully functional and of a sufficient quality that it could be used everyday by a touch typist."

This is the coolest keyboard mod that I have ever seen.

Video: Star Wars the Silent Movie

What Star Wars might have looked like if it was from the 20's... :-)

Artcile: Sneak Peek at the Zonbu PC

PC Magazine reports: "A $99 PC with up to 100GB of storage, a small footprint, and the ability to play your multimedia files? That's pretty hard to believe, but the Zonbu PC pulls it off."

What makes this computer different is that doesn't have a hard drive, and all data is stored on remote servers on the Internet. For more information read the article. Here is the Zonbu web site.

Google Improves Language Translation Site - News and Analysis by PC Magazine

PC Magazine reports: "Google Translate page will provide translations for 12 languages and will provide international web surfers the option to search the dearth of English-language information available on the Internet, according to Google."

Google has been enhancing its service offering, and now its expanding its translation services. To try out the new services, go to the following site.

Google Lab: Experimental Search

Check out Google Lab's new experimental search technologies. Some of them are very cool, while others have been around for a few years (such as keyboard shortcuts).

There are three new search technologies that they're demonstrating:

• Timeline and map views: Google extracts key dates and locations from your search results and display it in a different dimension.
• Keyboard shortcuts: Navigate your search results quickly without using your mouse.
• Left/right-hand search navigation: right or left-handed contextual search navigation that allows you to refine your search to related terms.

Article: Promising antispam technique gets nod

CNET News.com reports: "A key Internet standards body gave preliminary approval on Tuesday to a powerful technology designed to detect and block fake e-mail messages. It's called DomainKeys Identified Mail, and it promises to give Internet users the best chance so far of stanching the seemingly endless flow of fraudulent junk e-mail."

I have been reading about this technology for years, for the most part I assumed it died because I had not heard anything about it for a long time. Well its back, so let hope it works.

Google Offers Daily Trend Updates

PC Magazine reports: "Google Hot Trends combines elements of Zeitgeist and Trends—two existing Google products that give a glimpse into Web search habits, but only in retrospect based on weeks-old data."

Try out Google Hot Trends for yourself. It really is a combination of Google Zeitgeist and Trends feature in one tool.

Article: 10 Weirdest USB Devices, Part II

PC Magazine reports: "At PC Magazine, we know that not all gadgets are for practical use—some products do nothing more than provide us with a few laughs. Back in October of 2006, we brought you a collection of the 10 weirdest USB devices, including a USB hamster wheel and USB desk aquarium. ... Well, we're back with even more wild and crazy USB gadgets to crowd those USB ports. So hold on to that mouse, because you're in for a USB-tastic ride!"

It's amazing what people will create and hook it up to a computer.

Video: Project Constellation (NASA's Return to the Moon)

This is the coolest video I have seen from NASA, its CG animation about the 'Project Constellation'. This project is NASA's return to the Moon, using an Apollo type spacecraft. This video has a high production quality, and great music.



Here is some more information (not very glitzy, but full of information).

Audio: Chinese 'Gold Farmers'

From Morning Edition (May 14, 2007): "Playing online games for 12 hours is a full-time job for thousands of Chinese workers. They're accumulating virtual money - or "gold" - which they can sell for real cash. But it's a dull and labor-intensive job with limited payoffs."

Video: Helio Display In Action

San Francisco Technology Reporter Gabriel Slate demonstrates the 'Helio Display' from IO2Technology. The display allows you to project an image/video in mid-air. These displays can be purchased from the company for about US$20,000. Here is the video of it action.

Video: Talking Meat

Background: "Looking to extend the Empire, the Minister of Colonial Wars discovers to his great dismay Humans are made of... meat. Meat which can think, talk, sing, dream, build machines... How is the General of the Fifth Invasion Arm Forces going to react to such an universal anachronism when the Minister will report to him?" (excerpt from YouTube)



For some background on this story of this video, check out the following web site.

Video: Mineral Oil Submerged Computer

Puget Custom Computers shows you how to create an economical liquid cool PC by using an aquarium to submerge a motherboard and power supply in mineral oil. To learn more watch the video and then check out their web site.

Article: Hybrid Cars' Fantasy Mileage Ratings Drive Into the Sunset

Wired reports: "Hybrid car economics will face a new road test this month with the arrival of fresh models sporting revised mileage ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. ... This year, new test standards have forced manufacturers to lower advertised efficiency claims on most models compared to previous years, and car lots are bracing for a tougher environment for hybrid sales."

The EPA's new standard for calculating estimated fuel economy has been updated. This new data reveals some interesting information about cars real fuel economy. Read the article to find out more.

Security: Avoiding Check Fraud

It appears that check fraud has become popular again. Con artists are 'washing' old checks to remove the ink using common household chemicals. After they remove the ink from the checks, they're cashing them for any value they choose.

To fight back, you need to use a pen, that has an ink that is that can't be washed off. For example, the Uni-Ball 207 uses an that is almost impervious to many solvents . This pen can be purchased for about about $2 a piece.

Video: 300 Trailer - PG Version

Quiz: Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

Find out if you are you smarter than a 5th grader, take the following quiz.

Video: Microsoft oPhone

Microsoft put together this video for the Mix '07 Web design conference in Las Vegas. There's several computer and programming related jokes in the video. oPhone is suppose to Microsoft's tongue-in-cheek answer to Apple's iPhone.

Video: Physics of Superheroes (Death of Gwen Stacy)

Physicist Dr. Jim Kakalios proves how Spider-Man's girlfriend Gwen Stacy died. This is one of the seminal events in the Spider-Man comic books. The video demonstrates some of the laws of Newtonian physics.

Article: When IT and taxidermy collide...

Ananova reports: "A US artist and inventor has combined IT and taxidermy to create a computer housed in a dead beaver. ... two more US inventors created a computer mouse housed in a real mouse."

If you love animals stop here, if you want to see case mods taken to a new level check out the following article.

Note: The influance for this case mod could have come from a joke article called 'Installing Linux on a Dead Badger'.

Article: Keystrokes Are Us

eWeek reports: "What I like about keystroke authentication as a biometric factor is that it uses something that is already built in to every user's PC: a keyboard. This eliminates the need to, for example, retrofit field-deployed PCs with a fingerprint reader—ditto for laptops—because the keyboard"

This is an interesting product, instead of using extra hardware that most computers don't have (such as a fingerprint reader, retina scanner, etc.). This software records the characteristic of your keystrokes and factors them into your password.

Slideshow 10 Emerging Technologies that Flopped

An interesting slideshow of technologies that flopped in the recent past for one reason or other. Some of the technologies were just bad ideas, others were marketed poorly, or some were just the wrong solution to a problem.

Article: 'Encyclopedia of Life' Project Launched

PC Magazine reports: "From apples to zebras, all 1.8 million known plant and animal species will be listed in an Internet-based 'Encyclopedia of Life' under a $100 million project, ... The 10-year scheme, launched with initial grants of $12.5 million from two U.S.-based foundations, could aid everyone from children with biology homework to governments planning how to protect endangered species."

I really hope that the 'Encyclopedia of Life' and Wikipedia will collaborate with each other rather then compete as two existing projects. I believe the combination of the two sources of information would be very powerful.

LG GGW-H10N PC Blu-ray / HD-DVD Combo

ExtremeTech reports: "Recently, LG Electronics began shipping the Super Blu Player, a consumer Blu-ray player that can also play back HD-DVD movies, though some advanced HD-DVD interactive features are missing. Now the company is readying a PC drive that can burn Blu-ray, DVD, and CD discs. It also serves as an HD-DVD ROM drive and, with the right software, can play back HD-DVD movies."

The first generation of HD DVD/Blu-ray combo drives are arriving on the market. Personally, I have been waiting for these drives for a little while because it means that I don't have to commit to one format or the other.

Video: In the Universe Size Does Matter...

This video really puts the size of the planets and stars into prospective...

Chad Vader Episode 6 & 7

These are the latest installment of the continuing story of Chad Vader, Darth Vader's less-talented, less-charismatic younger brother

Episode 6


Episode 7


If you have not yet already watched "Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager" episodes 1-5, you may want to watch them to get the background story. I have included links to these videos below:

• Episode 1
• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4
• Episode 5

Video: Porsche 911 vs Yamaha R1

Which is faster a Porsche 911 or Yamaha R1? Watch the video to find out.

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

"Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately. Nothing was tampered with, run over by a car, or anything of the sort. It is an accurate representation in every case. Shiny, neon-orange, liquefied pump-cheese, and all."

Warning: after reading this blog post you may lose your desire for certain fast foods. If you're on a diet, please read this you might not desire this stuff so much. ;-)

Video: The Apple iBox Gaming Console

Check out Apple's new gaming console, its called iBox and it doesn't even require a controller.

Video: Novell MAC vs. PC ad spoof

Novell's has gotten in on the MAC/PC ad spoof.

• Episode 1
• Episode 2 (my favorite)
• Episode 3

Video: Code Guardian (Parts 1 and 2)

What happens if WWII had giant fighting robots? Marco Spitoni spent the last five years of his spare time creating a 13-minute CG mini-movie called 'Code Guardian' to answer that question.

Code Guardian (Parts 1)


Code Guardian (Parts 2)


Check out his web site to watch some more of his stuff or find out more about these videos.

Call Any Phone Anywhere with Skype for Free on Mother's Day

Skype is offering a full day of free calling to any phone (land lines and cell phone) anywhere in the world on Mother's Day (that's May 13th for the males out there). :-)

Article: 15 ways stores trick you into spending - MSN Money

MSN Money reports: "Ever notice how you can go to a store to pick up just one thing and then, by the time you get to the check stand, you have five or six things in your cart and a bigger bill than you had anticipated?"

Stores will use an several different techniques to try to get you to buy more stuff then you need. This is great article that explains the psychological factors that are part of just about every store's design to get you spend more money.

Video: Millimeters Matter

This video is just weird... If you are small compared to everyone else - size really is important!

Slideshow: The Most Important Open-Source Apps of All Time - Linux Kernel

eWEEK Labs names the applications that have moved open-source technologies from corporate curiosities to integral enterprise tools.

If you don't know anything about open-source technologies, this is the quickest primer you will ever take. If you're looking for some best open-source applications available this list contains some of the best. Its not complete by any means but its a great start.

Video: Backstroke Of The West

Revenge Of The Sith translated into Chinese and then back into English. If you want to know more about this video, here is some background on it.

Video: Pulp Muppets Trailer

Pulp Fiction mash up trailer with the Muppets.

Article: New 'super-Earth' found in space

BBC NEWS reports: "Astronomers have found the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System to date, a world which could have water running on its surface. ... The planet orbits the faint star Gliese 581, which is 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra."

I wonder how long it would take us to get there from here?

Video: Volkswagen Touareg vs Boeing 747

Tom Ford tests the true power of the VW Touareg by trying to tow a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. If he completes this task it will be a new world record for the heaviest object towed by a production vehicle. In previous Touareg towing challenges they have drag a people carrier driving in the opposite direction, a telegraph pole and a combine harvester. You can watch the video here.

Video: The Monty Hall Problem

The Monty Hall Problem is a famous (or rather infamous) probability puzzle. Ron Clarke takes you through the puzzle and explains the counter-intuitive answer.

Video: Career Builder Ad - Monkeys wtih Pointers

Sorry I can't embed this one. I hope you enjoy it.

Video: (Sperm) Bank Robbery Commercial

Criminals with bad eyesight try to rob a bank. Unfortunately they did not see that it was a SPERM bank. When they finally crack the safe they don't see any money and mistake sperm for yogurt. If you've got a problem with your eyesight see a specialist at Top Charoen Optical.

Article: Big money in little screens

CNET News.com reports: "Searching the Web on a mobile phone has been a lot like getting online via dial-up modem circa 1995: slow, tedious and not terribly useful. Typing on tiny buttons, squinting at a list of links and clicking through to a page that won't display properly is enough to test anyone's patience."

The hype is back, let's see if they can produce decent web experience this time. Last time they were hyping this technology was about 5-7 years back. It was pretty a pretty miserable user experience then, and it seems to have only marginally got better.

Article: Ethanol worst then Gas, and Cell Phone Killing the Planet?

Below are two interesting articles that I came across recently. I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Ethanol Vehicles Pose A Significant Risk To Human Health, Study Finds
"Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson. His findings are published in the April 18 online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T)."

Will Mobile Phones Bee The Death Of Us All?
"It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. ... They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops."

Video: How Superconducting Levitation Works

An education video describing how the cool technology of superconductors in magnetic levitation works.

Video: How to rip a phonebook in half

Impress your friends. I have to give this trick a try when I find a phonebook laying around.

Researcher: JavaScript Attacks Get Slicker

eWeek reports: "Malicious JavaScript is getting smarter. It's now able to fingerprint victims' Web browsers, vulnerable components and accessible CLSIDs, and deliver custom-tailored exploits, according to Dr. Jose Nazario, senior security engineer for Arbor Networks."

More and more new functionality is constantly being added to JavaScript programming language to make web pages more interactive. This new functionality is being exploited by malicious web sites owner to try to take control over your browser and/or computer.

Article: U.S. favors stealthy anti-satellite strategy

MSNBC.com reports: "For some, the Jan. 11 test revealed China’s increasing military capabilities and an emerging threat to U.S. dominance in military space. For others, the test proved the need for a U.S. anti-satellite capability. The conventional wisdom was that the United States needed to create such a system to deter the Chinese from doing anything rash in an international crisis - in effect, bringing mutually assured destruction to military space operations."

New and creative ways of dealing with satellites. Well to be honest is not new the Russians developed it about 30 years ago.

Article: New Adobe Player Takes Web Video Offline

PC Magazine reports: "Adobe Systems Inc. unveiled on Sunday video-player software that lets consumers play back video online or offline, a move that could help reshape an acrimonious debate over video-sharing."

Wendy's: Soviet Fashion Show

One of the greatest commercials from the 80's...

Related Article:

• Top 10 Best Commercials of All Time
• Best Funny Commercials: The Sequel
• New Mac vs. PC Commercials
• Best Mac Ads, Spoofs and Parodies
• Vintage Computer Commercial Flashbacks

SlideShow: Test Driving the $100 Laptop's Interface

eWeek Reports: "As the One Laptop Per Child project works toward a release this year of what is commonly called the $100 laptop, work has continued on the operating system and the new interface for the radical new laptop design. This interface is called Sugar and is based on a lightweight version of Fedora Linux. "

Video: Turboencabulator

A highly technical video presentation of modern technology from Rockwell Automation Systems. (Background: behind the announcer is a ordinary bank of large circuit breaker panels that can be found in any large building. This video was a joke produced by Rockwell for a sales meeting.)

Video: Best New Science Toy

Carver (Half Car/Half Motorcycle, and All Fun)...

The Carver is half car and half motorcycle, and its all fun. The vehicle can lean up to 45 degree left or right as you turn. Its kind of like a fighter jet for the road. Watch the video to understand. More information, see the Vandenbrink web site.

Universcale (Putting Size in Prospective)

If you want to put the size of different objects into prospective, from the universe (about 13.7 billion light years) to a proton (1 femtometer). This is probably one of the best flash applications that I have seen, its very interactive. Click on the scale at the bottom to change the zoom, or click on the object to get more information about it.

Video: Remove Dents With Dry Ice

Warning: Do not touch dry ice to bare skin it will hurt you, make sure that you use heavy gloves when handling this substance.

I have not personally verified that this trick works, but it looks like it might be worth a try.

Basically what is happening is the dry ice condenses metal and shrinks small dents on your car. To properly perform this trick you need to place the dry ice on the inside of the dent if possible.

Other uses for dry ice include:

• Mosquitoes Repellent (sort of): Mosquitoes are attracted CO2 from humans and animals. Try placing pieces of dry ice in areas away from where people congregate.
  
• Gopher Destroyer: Since dry ice is heavier than air, it will sink to the bottom of a gopher hole. Place 1 to 2 inch pieces of ice as deep as you can into each hole, then fill the top of the hole with dirt. Make sure you do this to all holes, otherwise the process may have to be repeated.

Article: Revolution, flashmobs, and brain chips. A grim vision of the future

Guardian Unlimited reports: "Information chips implanted in the brain. Electromagnetic pulse weapons. The middle classes becoming revolutionary, taking on the role of Marx's proletariat. The population of countries in the Middle East increasing by 132%, while Europe's drops as fertility falls. "Flashmobs" - groups rapidly mobilized by criminal gangs or terrorists groups."

It's a bleak report, but it is interesting from a technological point of view. Everything from middle class upraises to neutron weapons, and everything in between.

Article: Google Tests Directory Assistance for Phones

PC Magazine reports: "Computer Web search leader Google Inc. on Friday stepped up an experiment to use speech recognition on telephones so consumers can ask for local information, in a challenge to directory assistance providers."

This is not the first, last or best free 411 service, but it's now available by calling 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). This is a U.S. number only for right now. More information, check out the following site.

Video: The Perfect Husband

Video: German Forklift Safty Training

This is an insane video of how to use/not use a forklift. Apparently this is used as a training video in Germany. The whole is in German, and there are no sub-titles, but if you watch until the end its hysterical.

Video: Google's new mashup feature

CNET News.com reporter Elinor Mills finds she can create a My Maps mashup with no coding experience.

Take Google Maps and customize them, then share them with your friends...

Video: Cheotpics360 in Action

Cheotpics360 is a four-sided transparent pyramid that was developed by a Danish team. It can display both video and computer images and scale them from 1.5 to 30-meters. The images in the video were generated by four projectors and mirrors that displays them within the prism-like pyramid.

Video: I/O Brush

Description: "I/O Brush is a new drawing tool to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by "picking up" and drawing with ... all » them. I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, artists can draw with the special "ink" they just picked up from their immediate environment."

Inside the Robot Lab - The iRobot Create at work

eWeek reports: "iRobot developed the Create robot as s development platform for people interested in using the Roomba chassis to create their own robots. This robot consists of the chassis (minus the vacuum cleaner parts) and an interface module. This particular robot was developed in iRobot's lab in India by an engineer who wanted to create sand paintings for use with worship."

iRobot makes more then just the Roomba, see what else they make.

Video: Secret Science Anti-Gravity

Secret Science Anti Gravity Revealed Homemade - The best bloopers are here

Levitation with only a cell phone, 4 AA battery, CD, soda can, 1 playing card, tape and a dime. Watch the video to find out more...

Google: TiSP

Sick of paying for broadband that you have to, well, pay for?

Introducing Google TiSP (BETA), our new FREE in-home wireless broadband service. Sign up today and we'll send you your TiSP self-installation kit, which includes setup guide, fiber-optic cable, spindle, wireless router and installation CD.

TiSP in-home wireless broadband is:
Free, fast and highly reliable
Easy to install -- takes just minutes
Vacuum-sealed to prevent water damage

Interested? You can learn more about TiSP via the links below, or get started now.

(Yes, I know this is an April Fool's Joke. I hope you do as well.)

Google: About Gmail Paper (New Feature)

Introducing Gmail Paper

Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back.

Now in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any message with the click of a button, and we'll send it to you in the mail.

Simplicity Squared
Google will print all messages instantly and prepare them for delivery. Allow 2-4 business days for a parcel to arrive via post.

Total Control
A stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it’s yours to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it to the trash—the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.)

Keep it Secret, Keep it Safe
Google takes privacy very seriously. But once your email is physically in your hands, it's as secure as you want to make it.

(Yes, I know this is an April Fool's Joke. I hope you do as well.)