Leaked Intel slides reveal 8-core CPUs, AVX instruction set

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/366526250/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We recently learned that Intel would be (officially) calling Nehalem Core i7 and Centrino Atom, um, Atom. Now, however, we've got a few more related details for you to digest thanks to a stack of leaked presentation slides. The Tick Tock Development Model explains that both Westmere and Sandy Bridge (codenames, of course) will be fabricated with 32-nanometer technology in 2009 - 2010. Moving even further into the unknown, geeks can expect Ivy Bridge and Haswell (both doing the whole 22-nanometer thing) to surface between 2011 and 2012. The Sandy Bridge architecture will reportedly "double the number of cores per die to eight," while a new instruction set coined Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will likely get most of the attention. For those of you who haven't conked out yet (you know who you are), hit the links below to get a better idea of what your future rigs will likely house.

[Via Electronista]

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Video tech uses photos to enhance, alter shots: it's the Photoshop of video, and no one is safe

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/366883344/

Filed under: Digital Cameras

We've seen some decent video alteration in our day, but this new research project by some folks at the University of Washington has the potential to turn the entire concept on its head. Using some rather advanced algorithms to analyze video and photographs of a the same scene, the software can meld the two into something slightly better or even dramatically different. In effect, it's Photoshop for video, since it brings your Photoshop chops to bear on video effects: edit up a still shot or two of the scene, and then meld that with the video, and your edits can be seamlessly integrated into the scene, without all that nasty manual labor required by Shake or After Effects. It's not the end all be all yet, since the tech only works with static scenes so far, but the researchers are working to rectify that. While video evidence hasn't been a sure thing for years, it's always been significantly harder to fiddle with than still shots. With that barrier removed, we might be in for a whole new generation of video that lies and a reality we can be none too sure of. Oh, and really good looking indie flicks. Sample vid is after the break.

Continue reading Video tech uses photos to enhance, alter shots: it's the Photoshop of video, and no one is safe

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Athlon 64 2000+ at 8-watts outperforms, draws less energy than Atom

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/367154014/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

AMD's going through some rough times, no doubt about it, but for fanboys of the CPU maker (wait, do CPU fanboys still exist?) here's your feel-good story of the year. The always-thorough Tom's Hardware has pit Intel's 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor against AMD's Athlon 64 2000+, and the results just might surprise you. The 1GHz Athlon (with a core voltage of 0.90 volts and a power draw of just 8 watts) managed to best the aforementioned Atom in both energy consumption and processing power tests. The gurus at Tom's credited the more modern 790G platform and the highly efficient K8 architecture as big players in the Athlon's strong showing, finally deeming said chip "more economical, faster and quieter" than the Atom. We know you're in disbelief -- good thing there are 14 pages of proof waiting in the read link.

[Thanks, Carl]

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Baja BBQ

Source: http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2008/08/baja-bbq.html

"The Baja BBQ firepack is a charcoal packaging that lights instantly and burns away in the grille, making the barbeque experience simple, clean and chemical free. Made from 100% recycled biodegradable paper pulp, the package contains 2lbs of natural lump charcoal and features an integrated chimney that creates perfect hot coals without the aid of chemicals or light fluid."

It's good to see the package being used as the product and innovation that looks at stripping away and not adding, that is sustainable but well designed.

More pictures after the jump.

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Paper Torn with a Document Shredder Can Be Reconstructed

Source: http://www.labnol.org/software/reconstruct-documents-torn-with-paper-shredder/4202/

You may feeling safe after tearing all those “secret” documents into tiny strips of paper using the shredding machine in the Office but wait, there’s a Windows software that can recreate the originals even from those torn noodle-like pieces.

Called Unshredder, this software analyses all the torn pieces of paper and reconstructs the original document without requiring human intervention.

Of course you’ll first need to scan those pieces into the computer using a scanner machine but this is anytime more efficient method than asking an employee. Pic: Flickr.

Paper Torn with a Document Shredder Can Be Reconstructed - Digital Inspiration

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