Friday, August 08, 2008

The Scorpion, An Eco Car That Doesnât Look Like A Fridge

Source: http://cubeme.com/blog/2008/08/05/the-scorpion-an-eco-car-that-doesnt-look-like-a-fridge/

Environmentally friendly car usually look ugly, but a car being is released that doesn’t look like a cardboard box and is actually stunning. Designed by Austin-based automotive design and manufacturing company Ronn Motor’s, here comes the mighty Scorpion, a hydrogen fuel injected hybrid.

This innovative car utilises the new ‘hydrogen on demand’ technology, which generates water from the inbuilt tank, turns it into hydrogen and then injects it into the car’s system. This system allows fuel mileage to increase by between 20 to 40% and reduces carbon emissions to nearly zero. Coupled with its awesome design, the Scorpion will surely become a reference in the exotic performance car segment.

The Scorpion will be available in 2009 and can be yours for “only” $150,000. Who said you don’t have to be rich to save the planet?

Source: Ronn Motors

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Mobile Subscribers Forecast to Top 5 Billion-Mark by 2011

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/357844568/

A few days ago, I pointed out that India was finally getting its 3G act together by coming up with a liberal licensing policy that will boost mobile broadband in that country. A similar scenario is playing out across China, Brazil and Russia, which together with India account for a major chunk of the global mobile footprint.

That is one of the main reasons why Infonetics Research is expecting that by year 2011 there will be one mobile broadband connection for every four wired broadband subscribers. The Campbell, Calif.-research firm made some other bold predictions, among them:

  • Worldwide mobile subscribers will hit 5.2 billion by 2011
  • Cellular mobile broadband subscribers will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 104 percent between 2007 and 2011.

The research firm claims that WiMAX is going to play a role in the spread of mobile broadband as well.I checked with the firm to get more clarifications on the cellular mobile growth.

They said that the number of worldwide cellular mobile broadband subscribers (not including WiMAX or SMS) will more than triple in 2008 from 2007 and to continue ramping quickly through at least 2011. They went on to point out that “with an expected mobile subscriber base passing the 5 billion bar in 2011, which will be migrated to both 3G and 4G networks, there is a lot of potential for mobile broadband subscribers to outnumber wireline broadband subscribers in the long term ( in the 2015-2020 timeframe).”

As high-speed wireless pipes become commonplace, we can expect this new platform to spur innovation just like wired broadband. The availability of high-speed access over DSL and cable resulted in the formation of Skype, YouTube and Facebook. Despite the carrier chokehold on the networks, innovation will soon start to thrive in the wireless broadband world as well.

If this story interests you, check out our upcoming conference:
Mobilize — Mobile Web Today and Tomorrow

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Bringing 3D TV to the Home

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OmMalik/~3/358743014/

Forget HD. In its perpetual quest to provide bigger and better entertainment (and to sell new gear), the consumer electronics industry is pushing 3D televisions. But first it needs to figure how to deliver the 3D tech and what types of standards need to be set so the experience is the same as that of 3D movies. The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California said it has formed a 3D working group to solve some of these issues, and plans to make an announcement regarding the group in the coming days.

The effort, chaired by a representative from Dolby Labs, will also involve the major movie studios and consumer device makers. A spokeswoman for the ETC said each year the center focuses on a new technology, and this year that focus will be 3D for televisions. “3D is going to become more and more pervasive and we need to know how to carry it all the way from the theater into your home and what products will be best for the consumer in the end,” she said.

We’re eager to learn more, and 3D is certainly on the minds of movie makers. Last month, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers formed a 3D task force to address the appropriate standards to deliver 3D content to the home via cable, DVDs, the web and other formats. My guess is if we think HD content requires a lot of data, 3D is going to blow our bandwidth caps out of the water.

Hat Tip to EEtimes

photo courtesy of nickstone333 via Flickr

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Google Sites to Replace Google Page Creator

Source: http://www.labnol.org/internet/google-sites-replace-google-page-creator/4086/

google Google Pages is still a part of Google Labs but this web page creator software will never get a chance to graduate from labs as it is getting replaced by Google Sites - a new product similar to Google Pages but with a wiki.

Google has stopped accepting new sign-ups for Google Page Creator though existing users can continue using the product like before.

However, all your files, images and web pages stored in Google Pages will get shifted to Google Sites later this year. This may be a concern for some as it will lead to broken links because Google Sites and Google Pages follow a different URL structure.

A big difference between Google Page Creator and Google Sites is that the former lets you upload HTML pages that are created externally - this is something you’ll really miss when the Google Pages to Google Sites transition is complete. Thanks Satish.


Google Sites to Replace Google Page Creator - Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal

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Show Large Images with Deep Zoom Composer - Video Tour

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/tutorial-deep-zoom-composer/4094/

deep zoom composer Deep Zoom Composer is a free software from Microsoft that lets you place high resolution photographs and other large images in a web page without resizing them.

Your viewers can then navigate through the images using standard zoom and pan controls similar to what we have in Google Maps. The only thing they would need is Silverlight*.

It take three steps to create a composition (or collage) in Deep Zoom Composer.

Step 1: Import your pictures into Deep Zoom Composer.

 Import Pictures

Step 2: If you have just one picture to showcase, you are ready to go. Else your may arrange and resize the pictures in any manner you like. There’re are helpful on-screen guides to help you with the alignments and resizing.

Arrange Pictures

Step 3: The last step is to export your composition. You can either export them onto your local drive or let Deep Zoom Composer upload it to Microsoft’s PhotoZoom website from where anyone can view your pictures.

 Export Deep Zoom

You may also watch this screencast video on how to quickly create a composition with Deep Zoom Composer.

With Deep Zoom Composer, you can not only put high-res images on the web but the software can also be used for stitching panoramas on the fly. Just select the images that are part of the panorama, right click and select "Create Panoramic Photo."

Deep Zoom Composer | Get Silverlight | Photo Zoom | Team Blog

If you have Silverlight on your machine, check this photo gallery of Vista wallpapers made with Deep Zoom Composer. Click anywhere inside the image and use your mouse to pan or zoom.


*If you are looking for some non-Silverlight options for embedding large photos, check out Google Maps Viewer and Zoomify.


Show Large Images with Deep Zoom Composer - Video Tour - Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal

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Website Not Loading in Firefox? Try Again, Automatically

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/website-not-loading-try-again-firefox/4146/

website loadingWhen browsing web pages in Firefox, it often happens that the site you’re trying to access doesn’t load in one go.

May be the web server is down momentarily or there was too much load or maybe your own Internet connection dropped. Whatever be the case, such issues are often temporary and get resolved as soon you press F5 to reload the same web page.

connection timeoutIf you work with too many browser tabs, a better alternative to F5 could be Try Again. This is a Firefox add-in that will continuously try connecting to web pages that didn’t open successfully in the first instance.

TryAgain v 3.2 - Thinks of this as robot pressing F5 every 5 or 10 seconds.

And if the web server fails to respond even after several tries, you can always see a copy through Google Cache or the WayBack Archive.

Related: What To Do When Websites Fail to Open


Website Not Loading in Firefox? Try Again, Automatically - Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal

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Toshiba Flash Chips Doubled to 32GB, Good for PMPs, Cellphones [Flash]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/359276182/toshiba-flash-chips-doubled-to-32gb-good-for-pmps-cellphones

Toshiba has announced it's beefing-up its line of NAND flash storage chips to 32GB sizes. The new package combines eight 4GB 43-nanometer chips into one—double the previous generation's capacity—and is specifically aimed at the portable device market. Since it can be dropped into existing slots, manufacturers have to make no specific changes to accommodate the new chips. Toshiba, of course, doesn't name its clients, but suffice it to say Apple is on the list. The new chips will be available as samples in September, with bulk production starting soon after. [Electronista]


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Sylvania's G Netbook Meso toyed with on video

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/359099129/

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We still can't get over the fact that Sylvania is selling a netbook, but all weirdness aside, the unit deserves the same hands-on attention given to most all of its biggest competitors. According to initial reports, the 8.9-inch Sylvania G Netbook Meso sports an atypical (albeit appreciated) matte display, an expectedly cramped keyboard and a smooth-as-butter trackpad. Need proof? Hit up the read link for a smattering of hands-on shots and a brief video.
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Video: Aigo's Patriot MID released, demonstrated inside elevator

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/359198218/

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Right on schedule, Aigo's 800MHz Atom Z500-powered P8860 MID (aka, the Gigabyte M528 for the US and Europe) is hitting the mean, retail streets of Hong Kong today. With it, we've got a bit of video showing off the new pen+finger-based MIDLinux (aka, Midinux) GUI which looks far better than it did when we went hands-on with the Gigabyte back in March. All in all, this 4.8-inch MID with Bluetooth, WiFi, sliding QWERTY, 4GB SSD, microSD expansion, and GPS and HSDPA data options is looking quite righteous for that $700-ish price tag and early reports coming out of UMPC Fever. Now bust out the xylophone and get ready to play along with the video posted after the break.

[Via Pocketables]

Continue reading Video: Aigo's Patriot MID released, demonstrated inside elevator

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NVIDIA pays Transmeta $25 million for LongRun technology

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/359286975/

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A select bunch of Transmeta investors may not completely agree with how the outfit is being managed, but one thing's for sure: it's bringing in some serious coin on this deal. During a brief timeout from counting those stacks of Benjamins handed over by Intel, it decided to license its Long Run and LongRun 2 technologies (among "other intellectual property") to NVIDIA for a cool $25 million. Additionally, the agreement grants NVIDIA a "non-exclusive and fully paid-up license" to all of Transmeta's patents and patent applications. Unfortunately, it's still unclear how exactly this will end up affecting NVIDIA fanboys (and girls), but we'll go out on a limb and suggest that a mobile GTX 280 with a remarkably low power draw is just around the bend.

[Via SlashGear]
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Thursday, August 07, 2008

Amazing DSI Brain Scanning Visualizes Your Mind's Inner Workings In 3D [This Is Your Brain]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/358678336/amazing-dsi-brain-scanning-visualizes-your-minds-inner-workings-in-3d

What's that monkey thinking about when he's mushing down that banana or tossing feces at you? Well, you're looking at it—this is a map of where a macaque's thoughts live. It's made possible by new 3D visualization algorithms developed by neuroscientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston which render a brain's billions of individual neuron connections in full-color 3D, with each visible strand representing several tens of thousands of the too-small-to-image neural pathways. It's all done by simply applying new processing to existing MRI scan data, and thankfully, it works on human brains too.

The tech, called diffusion spectrum imaging, takes current data from MRI scans and analyzes it for the passage of water molecules along the individual neuron connections in the brain. It then processes it to spit out the 3D maps. It's possible to do on live subjects (like the human brain image above), but more detail can be achieved by scanning non-living samples for up to 24 hours.

Doctors are using the new images to better understand our brain's infinitely complicated wiring, and to avoid important neural nets during surgeries. More including 3D model animations (awesome) at: [Technology Review]


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Slow Motion Lightning Video is Mindblowing, Will Sell a Thousand Slo-Mo Cameras [Science]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/358785355/slow-motion-lightning-video-is-mindblowing-will-sell-a-thousand-slo+mo-cameras

Well, this is just about the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It's a lightning bolt that's shooting down from the sky, shot in slow motion. I'm not sure exactly how fast this camera is, but it's got to be shooting at a speed faster than the Casio EX-F1 can shoot at, at least at a resolution this high. Whatever, who cares? Just watch this and prepare to be blown away.

[Today's Big Thing]


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