Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Friday, November 30, 2007

Every Episode of South Park Ever Being Put Online for Free Next Year

from Gizmodo by adam frucci

Earlier this year, Viacom put every Daily Show episode online for free, and it was awesome. Now, they're following suit with South Park, with plans to put every episode of the animated series online for free next year.

It's a ballsier move than putting The Daily Show online, as South Park sells lots of DVDs, and these episodes will directly compete with episodes available for sale in stores. The Daily Show is less valuable as it gets older, as it's news-based, so putting episodes that poke fun of Ralph Nader online wasn't as much of a risk. If successful, look for more MTV and Comedy Central shows to get this treatment (The State! Please!). The more free TV shows online the better, as far as we're concerned. We'd like it if they spread the love and made all these episodes available to other players such as Joost, but I guess we should be happy with what we get. [Reuters]

Soropot Teapot is Sexy, Architectural [Design Concepts]

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

Some tea connoisseurs are calling the Soropot the "sexiest teapot ever," but we just think it's downright architectural. There's function behind that form, too, where the arched handle is supposed to act as a heat sink to keep the tea from oversteeping. Its arched support straddles a burner on the stove, and the water in that horizontally oriented boiler acts like an old-timey locomotive, getting all hot and steamy until it's ready to pour over your favorite teabags. All this stainless steel and glass and design overload isn't quite available yet, but when/if it is, we tea drinkers at the Giz are even willing to forsake our gorgeous Michael Graves teapot from Target for one of these. [ Snarfd]

Oculon Hikari Pro920 Pocket Projector Debuts for $299 [Small Package]

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

You never know when you might need to whip out a projector, and here's the smallest one you can buy so far, made by the Chinese company that calls itself Oculon. The 640x480 Hikari Pro920 is $299, giving you a 24-inch image from about a yard away, or a 12-inch picture from a foot away. If you're looking for a bit more resolution, you can get an 800x600 model for $399.

Vudu Goes HD, Thumbs Nose at Blu-ray and HD DVD [Digital Downloads]

from Gizmodo by Wilson Rothman

This winter, Vudu will give every Vudu owner and new buyer copies of both The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, pre-loaded on their boxes in glorious HD. They will also have the opportunity to download The Bourne Ultimatum to own for $25. This is a sign that Vudu—and Universal—are looking past the current format war toward the increasingly inevitable download-only distribution.

Until now, Vudu has just seemed like a better alternative to CinemaNow or Movielink, IP-based video-on-demand that was ready-made for the living room. It still costs money to rent or own movies after you buy the the box, and content selection was limited to (very high quality) standard-def video. But now it's challenging the current state of HD.

Whenever we talk about the format war, there is always a segment of commenters who scream out "Neither!" in favor of the still nebulous digital download scenario. At the beginning of Blu-ray and HD DVD, Hollywood execs talked of a strict code: HD was for packaged disc-locked media only, while downloads had to be standard def. But Xbox Live changed that when it began distributing HD video for rent, and now, it seems, the floodgates are open. Even staunch HD DVD defender Universal seems eager to see what happens when you give customers to take their HD movies straight up, hold the shiny silver disc.

But there are good reasons why this doesn't yet signal the death knell of the disc formats:
• There's high-def and there's high-def. The video quality of Vudu's downloads is 1080i, impressive especially for film content, but a far cry from the 1080p favored by true videophiles. Also, packaged disc content can have higher-resolution audio at this point, too, though that will change as pipes widen.

• $25 for a software-only copy of a movie sounds a little steep, considering you can get the HD DVD of The Bourne Supremacy at Amazon for $20. iTunes had to sell albums for $10 at a time when CDs costs $15 or more. I think $20 is the most Vudu could really charge for HD download-to-own titles.

• Saving an HD movie to your Vudu may put the screws to the HD DVD/Blu-ray debate, but it also starts up another format war, what our own Matt Buchanan labeled the Infinite Format War. For the time being, an HD movies saved on your Vudu is going to stay there, and you won't be able to play it on your Xbox 360. Never say never, but that's the deal for now.

MIT Designs Electro-Scooter That Folds Up into Tiny, Wheeled Package [Rent-a-Scooter]

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

Those eggheads at the Smart Cities group at MIT are a clever bunch, coming up with a design concept for an electric scooter that folds up into a package scarcely larger than a wheeled carry-on suitcase. In the Utopian vision for such bikes, you'd ride one to work, then fold it up and roll it right into the office, where it will take up very little space. But wait. This idea gets even more appealing:

As depicted in the conceptual rendering above, there's a plan to rent the electric bikes in numerous locations throughout a city, where a rider could take a bike one-way, dropping it off near a destination in a different part of town.

The scooter's not bad looking, either. If you like this, wait 'til next year, when the group will be rolling out a foldable electric car. [InfoSync and Technology Info]

Tea Stick Stirs Heaven Into Your Cup [Leaf Soaker]

brilliant in its simplicity....re-think everything

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

All right you potheads, knock it off. This is not a special one-hit toker. No, it's the Tea Stick, a spring-loaded doodad that lets you place loose tea on its little retractable shelf, and then you stir it into some nice hot water, resulting in a tea connoisseur's nirvana. The stainless steel and plastic implement, formerly only dreamed about as a design concept, is now available for $20. Say goodbye to those old tea bags, and indulge yourself with all the other tea snobs, using that precious loose tea that will take you to another place. Or something. If that doesn't do it for you, you can just put your weed in it. [Chiasso, via Crave]

Precocious Kids Mess with Tracks of an Oncoming Train

These kids messed with the tracks of their local express train and got it to go off its normal tracks. I don't want to spoil this video for you, so just watch it. Trust me, it's worth it. It's another one of these great videos in the spirit of yesterday's flying car clip, of which I cannot get enough.

Micron's Future Concept of SSD is RAM-Module Like [Solid State Drives]

from Gizmodo by Adrian Covert

In addition to Micron's traditional solid state drives announced today , they also showed off a concept for a SSD module that resembles RAM in physical design and would fit into a similarly designed port. It's obvious but genius: while the SSD drives with SATA interfaces are terrific because they can be used in current laptops with no mods, the real performance of flash mem is only going to be unlocked when we cast aside the legacy of spinning disks and their cases and interfaces and mount SSDs on the mobo like we do RAM modules.

The design uses a SATA interface and is only 4 mm thick. Micron claims the advantages of such a design are the small size and the ability to line up multiple drives next to each other. In addition, this design requires no wires or attaching the motherboard with screws, reducing the risk of the SSD becoming disconnnected or loose inside a computer. While this product is nowhere near ready for market, Micron says they would need to work with an OEM or someone who can offer a compatible computer solution. [Micron]

Rambus Targets 1TB/sec Bandwith For Computer Memory [Memory]

from Gizmodo by Sean Fallon

Memory maker Rambus has unveiled its Terabyte Bandwidth Initiative with the goal to develop a new memory architecture capable of achieving 1TB/sec bandwidth. The plan is to push the data rate to a whopping 32X—which can provide a 16Gbps signaling rate with a 500MHz clock. Compare that with to the 2bits/1Gbps provided by conventional DDR at the same rate. Add differential signaling an both the data and command/address channels and you have yourself one blazingly fast system.

According to Rambus, graphics and game consoles will push memory bandwidth needs toward 1TB over the next 4-5 years. Rambus believes that they can achieve the 1TB goal in that time frame using a multi-chip array. There is no doubt that the need will be there sooner or later, but whether Rambus can succeed in this time frame remains to be seen. [Rambus via Electronista]

Playstation 3 Turned Into "Crackstation" for Super Hacking Goodness [Hax]

from Gizmodo by Matt Buchanan

Forget Folding@home and its feel-good applications. There are cooler things to be done, like cryptography cracking. Taking advantage of the Cell's vector architecture , a security consultant with Security-assessment.com has cooked up a way to to bust passwords open like bad Easter eggs really, really fast. His Crackstation shoves past "the current upper limit of 10-15 million cycles per second—in Intel-based architecture—up to 1.4 billion cycles per second." To put that in non-geek, "Intel processors are designed to do all kinds of complex calculations, whereas the PS3 is good at doing simple things very quickly." The work apparently stands to change the whole cryptography industry.

For one, it shows that using Intel processors or ones with similar architecture as benchmarks "just is not good enough anymore." Cracking cryptographer will probably get faster all around as well, which should ultimately drive stronger cryptography with better implementation. Though they haven't tried it yet, by using a technique similar to Folding@home with distributed loads, the cracking power could obviously be increased exponentially.

All of that said, I just think it's funny how it's emphasized over and over again how "simple" Cell's architecture is, after Sony's spent all this time telling us how complex and awesome it is. [PC World]

Verizon Switches to GSM's Side For Ultra Highspeed 4G Technology [Cellphones]

from Gizmodo by Wilson Rothman

Verizon Wireless today announced it would support "Long Term Evolution" (LTE), the super fast 4G technology currently in testing from Nokia and its European friends in the 3GPP group, and operating at a blistering 100Mbps. It's certainly hot technology, but one seen as an extension of GSM's high-speed packet technology. This is a rejection of CDMA's EV-DO (which has a faster Rev. C that could have been rolled out) and a definite rejection of WiMax, which has been Sprint's chosen 4G technology . As dramatic as the shift is, it's not totally surprising when you look at Verizon's historic lack of compatibility with its European co-owner, Vodafone, an early LTE supporter. It also fits with Verizon's new pledge of openness : presumably this means interchangeable SIM cards for easier-to-swap phones and mobile devices. (Press release with lots of nice details after the jump.)

VERIZON SELECTS LTE AS 4G WIRELESS BROADBAND DIRECTION

Technology Platform to be Trialed in 2008

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Verizon today announced plans to develop and deploy its fourth generation mobile broadband network using LTE - Long Term Evolution - the technology developed within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization. The selection of LTE provides Verizon and Vodafone - joint owners of U.S.-based Verizon Wireless - with a unique opportunity to adopt a common access platform with true global scale and compatibility with existing technologies of both companies.

Verizon and Vodafone have a coordinated trial plan for LTE that begins in 2008. Trial suppliers include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia-Siemens, and Nortel. These suppliers, along with others in the world community, have contributed significantly towards development of the standards in 3GPP. Discussions with device suppliers have expanded beyond traditional suppliers such as LG, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson, as consumer electronics companies anticipate embedded wireless functionality in their future products.

Working within 3GPP, Verizon and Vodafone, as well as a broad group of infrastructure suppliers, device suppliers, and technology companies from around the globe, have advanced the standards to enable a technology that will deliver unprecedented wireless broadband service for high performance mobile computing, multimedia, and consumer electronic devices and applications. The technology is designed to deliver mobile data networks with higher speed and throughput performance, lower latency, global roaming, and improved efficiencies.

Today's LTE announcement builds on Verizon Wireless' technology leadership as the first company to launch high-speed wireless broadband service in the United States using CDMA Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) technology. Its data innovation and leadership have been marked by the introduction of new multimedia handsets and innovative applications such as V CAST Music, V CAST Video, VZ NavigatorSM, V CAST games, e-mail, Internet access, and picture and video messaging on a variety of devices, including handsets, PDAs and laptops.

Richard Lynch, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications observed that "while this next generation technology will be exciting to develop and deploy, it comes at a time when we are adding record numbers of customers to our existing CDMA2000 1x and EV-DO networks. We relish the challenge of preparing for the time when our customers start demanding such 4G capabilities, while continuing the expansion and operation of our existing technologies for many years to come."

"The company's move toward a 4G network is driven by our vision of pervasive wireless Internet connectivity and mobility," said Lynch. "Customers want to be truly untethered with advanced communication devices that provide functionality comparable to today's wired networks - whether it's downloading or uploading video, gaming, downloading their favorite music, or social networking. They want to be able to communicate in new and innovative ways whenever and wherever they choose around the globe. A number of factors are setting the stage for our 4G network migration; most importantly, our view of customers' evolving appetite for more information, entertainment, and functionality, combined with an increasing customer expectation for easy access, high speed, easy handling, and seamless mobility. With a host of new devices and applications, and a particular focus on embedded wireless in virtually every piece of electronics you buy in any store, we believe LTE is the best technology with global scale to deliver on the promise."

"Vodafone is delighted to be working alongside Verizon in the development of LTE technology, and we're looking forward to assessing the results of the joint engineering trials. We fully support Verizon's decision to select LTE as their next generation wireless broadband solution," said Steve Pusey, Vodafone's global chief technology officer. "We expect LTE to form a key part of Vodafone's future technology strategy, and the prospect of moving towards a common platform with Verizon Wireless is an attractive long-term goal. LTE will build on the capabilities of Vodafone's 3G broadband High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network technology, which is available across the entire Vodafone 3G footprint."

"Today's 4G announcement, coupled with our Open Development initiative announced earlier this week present a major growth opportunity for Verizon Wireless," said Doreen Toben, chief financial officer of Verizon. "Fourth generation's higher data speeds will usher in a new era of wireless applications and appliances, all of which can benefit from connecting to the nation's premier wireless network."

Wall Art That Will Get You Drunk: A True Masterpiece [Alcoholic Art]

from Gizmodo by Sean Fallon

Even someone who has never set foot in a museum before can appreciate art like this. This "interactive" art installation by artist Hannes Broecker in Dresden, Germany, features wall-mounted containers filled with deliciously intoxicating cocktails for patrons to enjoy. The idea behind the work is that art should stimulate the senses. In this case, the sense of taste is being stimulated while all the other senses are being dulled. Call me crazy, but Broecker could be the next Picasso. [Coolhunter]

Comcast Getting 100Mbps Cable Modems Next Year, Fiber Scared?

from Gizmodo by Matt Buchanan

Comcast confirms we'll see the rollout of DOCSIS 3.0—the next-gen data over cable standard allowing bandwidth of 160Mbps down and 120Mbps up— starting next year, with 20 percent of its footprint expected to be blanketed in bandwidth goodness by the end of 2008. Even though Comcast isn't saying where it'll fall, markets where there's FiOS are probably going to continue having all of the fat pipe fortune—competition is good for people in those areas, bad for the rest of us. Now for the real bad news:

The upstream magic—where cable is so sorely gimped right now—is going to remain hobbly, at least at first. And it's not 'cause Comcast is incompetent (for a change). As "a reflection of the status of upstream channel bonding technology" we won't see upstream on steroids until deep into 2008 or even 2009. Consequently, while downstream's getting a Rosie O' Donnell plumping with initial offerings in the 20-50Mbps range—what Verizon's offering now—upstream speeds still aren't going to stack up, dulling the competitive edge DOCSIS 3.0 was supposed to bring against fiber.

That means The Flash is going to stay ahead of Quicksilver for the foreseeable future, since by 2009 Verizon's GPON-based FiOS will probably cover the majority of its footprint, allowing them to flip a switch to out-juice whatever cable's got by then. [Broadband Reports]

Google Takes a Lesson From Digg?

from Gizmodo by Mark Wilson

Taking a lesson from Digg and similar sites, Google Labs is testing out a new reader response interface for search results (with only a select few users for a limited time). Essentially, your normal search results are enhanced with "like it" and "don't like it" buttons that would tweak the order of said results on your list. And you can also add URL results that you would have liked to receive given your search premise. Google explains:

When you search for the same keywords again, you'll continue to see those changes. If you later want to revert your changes, you can undo any modifications you've made.

But your poor tastes/opinions won't screw everyone.

The system only works within browser...for now...meaning that your opinions will not affect other users. Of course, if such a system were deployed in a widespread fashion, we're guessing Google would aggregate data trends to alter search results over time for better relevance.

And would such a system be better? What do we trust more, man or machine? Or sweatshops full of children adding "Nike.com" to every query result? [google via theregister]

Zonbu's prepping subscription laptops for 2008

from Engadget by Paul Miller

The Zonbu Mini is about to get a portable friend. Zonbu has just revealed its Everex-built Zonbu Notebook, which will be hitting the market in Q1 2008. The $279 upfront pricetag is quite a bit heftier than the $99 Mini, but the subscription fee remains the same at $14.95. Specs are quite the improvement on the Mini, with a 1.5GHz VIA C7-M processor, 60GB HDD, DVD-RW / CD-RW drive, VIA Chrome9 HC integrated graphics, WiFi and a 15.4-inch 1440 x 900 display. Zonbu claims up to three hours of battery, and of course all those "hassle-free" promises and managed Linux software of the original. In a world of $399 Eee PCs and cheaper Black Friday bargains, a $279 laptop with a hefty subscription fee might not seem like such a steal, but it's not hard to see the appeal for a first-time PC buyer, and it certainly bests the Mini. The best news is that if you're willing to put up with some beta software, Zonbu is selling the Notebook as of today for those risk-taking luddites out there.

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