This is a video of little birds playing guitar as part of some wack-ass French ( of course ) art exhibit . For his installation in The Curve, Boursier-Mougenot creates a walk-though aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other musical instruments.
See the original post here:
They’re So Talented: Little Birds Playing Guitar
Microsoft’s Best Buy-exclusive Arc Keyboard still won’t be hitting stores for another couple of weeks (February 21st, to be specific), but we were lucky enough to get our hands on one a little early, and figured we’d share a few impressions with you, the keyboard-using masses. The first thing you’ll notice when seeing the keyboard in person is that it’s smaller than even the press photos suggested — basically the same size as your average 15-inch laptop keyboard, with a glossy bezel just big enough to let you pick it up without pressing a key. It’s also undeniably eye-catching, with an “arc” that actually more closely resembles Apple’s Magic Mouse than Microsoft’s own Arc mouse .
The rest is here:
Microsoft Arc Keyboard hands-on
In what we’re hoping bodes well for future Kindle iterations, Amazon ‘s pulled out its credit card and picked up New York-based startup Touchco, who specializes in — you guessed it — touchscreen technology. The company will be merged with Lab126, a.k.a. the Kindle hardware division. Here’s why we’re excited: the startup claims its interpolating force-sensitive resistance tech can be made completely transparent, works with color LCDs, and can detect “an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points” as well as distinguish between a finger and stylus.
Read the original post:
Amazon buys touchscreen startup Touchco, merging with Kindle division
A diode allows current to travel in only one direction. With that in mind, [Alex] built a mechanical diode that will only allow gear rotation in one direction to be transmitted through the system. But wait, by connecting two of these devices together he’s built something of a mechanical rectifier. An electrical rectifier converts alternating current to direct current and this mechanical version outputs clockwise rotation no matter what direction of rotation is coming into the device.
View original here:
The mechanical diode
Spotted in the MAKE Flickr pool : When we last covered recotana’s Open Sound Controller (OSC) library for Arduino (ardOSC) , he had an Arduino talking to an iPhone using the OSC protocol . The project worked quite well, however you had to manually connect the two together by specifying their IP address. Now, by adding an implementation of Bonjour , the Arduino can link up to the iPhone automagically, allowing one to easily get on with their mixing.
Read the rest here:
Control your iPhone using an Arduino
In this week’s iMac update, we talk to an Apple authorised Service Provider/Reseller from the UK. And what does he tell us? Apple is so short on 27-inch displays that they’re paying customers 15 per cent to simply return faulty iMacs
See the original post:
The Faulty iMac Saga, Chapter 4: Apple Buying Out Customers
The crack between my car seat and the armrest is like a Bermuda Triangle for cellphones and loose change. The Drop Stop is a flexible wedge that attaches to your seat belt catch in order to fill the gap. It’s one of those brilliant, no-brainer ideas that will probably make a fortune. I mean, it’s either this or get tighter pants—and my boys need to breathe. Product Page ($20 via Red Ferret )
Here is the original:
Drop Stop Keeps You From Getting Stuff Caught In Your Crack
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told the National Intelligence Committee that the United States is at risk of a “crippling” cyber-attack , and without the proper tools to defend against such an attack. Blair counseled the US to “deal with that reality,” saying that catastrophic consequences would result if it did not deal with said reality. Specific problem areas he cited include the fact that more and more, foreign companies supply both the hardware and software for private businesses. Blair also noted the fact that the net has served as a breeding ground for “homegrown radicalism.” You don’t say?
Read more here:
Director of National Intelligence says major cyber attack could wreak havoc on the U.S. of A.
With the introduction of the Sony Ericsson Aspen , Windows Mobile took a small jump forward to version 6.5.3. This latest version includes a few notable features, including capacitive touchscreen support which will cause all non-HD2 owners to toss their stylii into the air and jump for joy. Other changes include: Platform to enable multitouch Touch controls throughout system (no need for stylus) Consistent Navigation Horizontal scroll bar replaces tabs (think settings> system> about screen) Magnifier to bring touch support to legacy applications Simplified out-of-box experience with fewer steps Drag and drop icons on Start Screen Browser page load time decreased and memory management improved Browser pan & flick gestures smoothed and zoom & rotation speed increased Updated runtime tools (.NET CF 3.5, SQL CE 3.1) Arabic read/write document support Watson (error reporting) improvements and bug fixes Thus far, the Aspen is the only handset to run this latest version of the Microsoft’s mobile operating system and we may have to wait until MWC 2010 for additional 6.5.3 handsets to emerge and updates for current handsets to be confirmed. Until then, Windows Mobile 6.5.3 is an SE exclusive. Read
See original here:
Windows Mobile 6.5.3 details emerge
Augmented Reality app Layar may not work on the iPhone for a few months to come, but in the meantime try out AR iPhone app World Surfer 2. Made by San Fran company Geovector, World Surfer 2 is an augmented…
View original here:
Web Surfer – an AR iPhone app that actually works right now
Section: Peripherals , Storage Let’s face it, we can never have enough storage space on our hard drives. Current hard drives that use perpendicular magnetic recording technology already have densities of 300-400 GB per square inch, and they are capable of achieving up to 1 terabits per square inch density. The technology is being pushed to the limits and alternatives need to be considered to lift the theoretical density limit
Original post:
Hitachi achieves a storage density of 2.5 Terabits per square inch
Make a successful transition from your PC to a Mac – Unplggd The Internet has been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize – Switched Hands on the Olympus E-PL1 – Crave Lego wallets may be fab but may not be so functional – Oh Gizmo! Verizon debuts Devour with Motoblur – Gizmodo
Original post:
Daily Tech: How to Make the Switch From PC to Mac
Google’s been doing some pretty slick stuff with QR codes lately , and now it looks like The Weather Channel’s getting in on the fun — it’s running a little on-screen graphic prompting Android owners to download their app by scanning their TV screens. Sure, it’s not the craziest thing in the world — it just takes you to the Android market listing — but it’s certainly fun, and one of the more mainstream uses of QR codes we’ve seen in a while. Check the video after the break
See original here:
Weather Channel distributes Android app via on-screen QR code
Every now and then you come across a product that promises to do things exceptionally well for a lower price than you would otherwise expect and… it actually exceeds your expectations. That’s the case with the Sleek cell phone booster for Wilson Electronics. We had a chance to meet with representatives from the company when we were in Las Vegas for CES and, thanks to them, I’ve been using a review unit of the Sleek for the past week or so.
See the rest here:
Wilson Electronics Sleek Cell Signal Booster- Review
This video, by Josef Davies-Coates, shows RepRap supreme chancellor Adrian Bowyer talking in depth about the latest version of the RepRap 3D printer (” Mendel “) which has been out for some months now. More: RepRap “Mendel” plans available RepRap Version II “Mendel” prints its first 3D parts Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in 3D printing | Digg this!
Read more:
RepRap Mendel mini documentary
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz (previously known as “Kurara”) still doesn’t have an official release date, but it looks like someone in Sony Ericsson’s camp has been playing with one lately. The company just released a pair of sample videos, marking the first time anyone outside of SE has seen footage shot on this handset. Now, given that one of the flagship features of this handset is its 720p video recording mode, we didn’t exactly expect the camera quality to be garbage – but hot damn are these videos impressive. Check out the videos below, won’t you? The first video alone is pretty impressive, even if they are kind of cheating; if those E-Trade commercials and countless viral videos have proven anything, it’s that babies make everything better.
Original post:
The first sample videos from the Sony Ericsson Vivaz are out and kind of incredible
Yes, we’ve seen this puppy before — but last time, we’d merely heard it was running Android. This time around, we’ve got a little more confirmation that the so-called Zeppelin from Moto is sporting Google code (allegedly Cupcake , sadly) with a dash of Blur added in for good measure. Gizmodo Brazil — which scored some time with a prototype — suggests that this’ll see duty on the lower end of Motorola’s smartphone lineup, and we tend to agree considering the HVGA display that takes up far less space than it could if Moto had wanted to go for broke. A keyboardless companion to the CLIQ / DEXT , perhaps?
Here is the original:
Motorola Zeppelin spotted again, Android-ness confirmed
Well that didn’t take too long at all. Just this morning, the Motorola DEVOUR with MOTOBLUR was announced , and now in-the-wild pics and hands on impressions are surfacing on the web. Pictured next to the Nexus One, the DEVOUR looks much smaller than it does in press images. So how does it feel and what can be expected from the device? It was hard to tell from prevoius leaked images and from the press pics, but the DEVOUR pictured above is made of metal
Here is the original post:
Motorola DEVOUR recently announced and already getting fondled
The original MSI Wind is so two years ago, but an Insanely Wind forum member with the handle of ac0ff33 figured out a way to make it so two years from now. Taking a cue from slider phones, the modder has managed to flip the Wind’s 10.1-inch display around, fit it on top of the keyboard, and add a resistive touchscreen. He appears to still be working on getting it to slide up to reveal the keys, but from the comments in the forum he’s got a pretty solid plan to make it all happen. And if all that isn’t good enough, he’s also added a plastic power button next to the screen, along with a key for choosing either Win 7 or OSX when booting. We’re looking forward to seeing how this project comes along, but in the meantime check out the two videos below of the touchscreen performance in both Win 7 and OSX.
Continued here:
MSI Wind modded with sliding keyboard and touchscreen
Major textbook publishers, including McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Kaplan, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K-12, have completed a deal with software company ScrollMotion Inc. to prepare their textbook offerings for digital outlets like the iPad. Textbook publishers, having seen the impact of technology and the internet on the newspaper industry, are desperately trying to stay ahead of the technology curve and viable well into the 21st century. Rik Kranenburg, group president of higher eduction at McGraw-Hill had this to say: “Nobody knows what device will take off, or which ‘killer app’ will drive student adaptations. Today they aren’t reading e-textbooks on their laptops.
View post:
Textbook publishers prepare content for iPad/e-ink readers
If you think there’s never enough computerized numerical control in your life perhaps the pizza plotter should be your next project. This is a large 2-axis machine that shoots pressurized sauce onto a pizza crust. It’s a food-grade RepStrap and appears to use a garden spraye r as a reservoir. They learned their lesson when a loose hose clamp sprayed sauce around the room
See the original post here:
Print your own pizza