Autonomous DIY Fireflies Make Order From Blinking Chaos [DIY]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/364211139/autonomous-diy-fireflies-make-order-from-blinking-chaos

Start a swarm of these DIY Firefly LEDs a-blinking, and they'll create a random pattern and blink an angry red. But after a few minutes, thanks to some clever microcontroller code and a light sensor, they'll soon all be blinking in sync with a nice, calming blue color. It's a neat bit of DIY electronics that's elegant in its simplicity, and surprisingly cool to see in action on video.

Even if you disturb their perfection with a flashlight, the system will eventually self-correct:

The code works like this:

Each firefly has a value that stands for the power to flash. This value rises over time. If the power reaches a certain limit, the firefly flashes and the power is reset to zero. If the firefly detects another flash nearby, it increases the power by a small boost value. That way it will flash slightly earlier than last time. Doing so over and over again may lead to all fireflies flashing in sync.

For instructions on making your own, check out: [Tinkerlog via MAKE]

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Would You Watch Cellphone Ads if it Got You Free or Cheap Service? [Question Of The Day]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/364273672/would-you-watch-cellphone-ads-if-it-got-you-free-or-cheap-service

The Direct Marketing Association, a lovely group dedicated to forcing ads down your throat, have done a study that found that while a mere 7% of cellphone users are open to receiving ads on their phone, a much more significant 24% say they've responded to such ads on their phone. A whole quarter of the phone population responding to ads? That has advertisers salivating, so you know that phone ads will be the norm soon enough. So, let's say they came up with a deal that paid for half of your bill if you agreed to watch a few ads a day on your phone. Would you do it?

As much as I hate ads and I hate being inundated with them on a daily basis, if it meant saving $50 a month, I would be all over it. On the other hand, if they tried to send ads to my phone without it saving me any money, I'd be livid. I pay too much for it to be forced to watch ads to further line the pockets of the people I'm already keeping in business.

What do you think?

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[NY Times]

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InFocus minds the budget with its Play Big IN80 projector

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/364094855/

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

While we won't complain about the performance or styling of InFocus' Play Big IN83 projector, the $6,000 price tag is a little steep. Sure, it's got that 1080p DarkChip4 DLP and styling that doesn't look like you "borrowed" it from the boardroom, but that $6,000 price tag gives us pause. InFocus is adding the Play Big IN80 model to the lineup to fill the gap, though. The specs put the IN80 above the company's X10 model -- it packs a 1080p DarkChip with BrilliantColor, can pump out 1300 lumens in the snow scenes and shares the design with its IN83 big brother, so you won't be tempted to try out your PowerPoints at home. Best of all, though is the MSRP £1,299 ($2500) when it ships in September.

[Via AboutProjectors]

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MacBook Air with Penryn launch imminent?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/364630629/

Filed under: Laptops

File this rumor under the "sure, that makes sense" category. Granted, PhoneNews may not be the go-to source for Apple rumors, still, the site's reputable enough to at least give this one a listen. It claims that national retailers have been alerted to an imminent announcement of a new revision to the MacBook Air. More specifically, PhoneNews claims that the MBA will move away from the stop-gap, 65-nm Intel processor dusted-off special for Apple (and now Voodoo's Envy 133) in favor of Intel's latest "standard" 45-nm Penryn processor. If true, then we're talking about possible clocks ranging from 2.26GHz to 3.06GHz (up from 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz), a 1,066MHz FSB (up from 800MHz), and appreciable increase in CPU power draw to 29W (up from 20W). We can also expect better GMA X4500 integrated graphics assuming Apple adopts the Centrino 2 chipset. To offset the potential degradation in mobility, PhoneNews asserts that Apple will beef-up the battery and replace the 45W MagSafe adapter with a 60W version like those found with existing MacBooks. With this rumor and all the others related to Apple's lineup of MacBooks, we wouldn't be surprised to see Apple announce some kind of special media event sometime soon.

Update: It's worth noting that Intel also plans to release a few low and ultra-low voltage Penryns around the September timeframe. Though these would decrease, not increase, the power draw as described by PhoneNews.

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Microsoft trueSpace: Free Alternative to 3ds Max, Google Sketchup

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/microsoft-truespace-free-alternative-3dsmax-sketchup/3965/

trueSpace is a 3D modeling and animation software for Windows that lets you create realistic 3D scenes from scratch, walk-throughs, games, etc. You can also import characters created in other software like AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Adobe Illustrator, etc.

trueSpace used to sell for $600 but then Microsoft acquired the company and released trueSpace as a free download probably in response to SketchUp that’s owned by Google.

The idea is to let users create building and landscapes for Virtual Earth just like one can use SketchUp to create 3D models for Google Earth (SketchUp review).

If you are from the education community, you’ll especially love trueSpace for simulations.

Like with any other 3D authoring software, there’s a steep learning curve involved with trueSpace but if you are looking for a good alternative to 3DS Max or Blender, Microsoft trueSpace is available at a price that may be hard to beat.

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Microsoft trueSpace: Free Alternative to 3ds Max, Google Sketchup - Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal

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