Gizmag: Good Thinking

Wanted: technology writers in Tokyo

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:43:07 -0600

Gizmag is seeking writers, photographers and videographers in Japan to join the team on a casual or part-time basis. Obviously speaking and writing English is essential, and having an in-depth knowledge of some if not all of the areas we cover goes without saying. If you can produce the goods, you’ll get paid well and you’ll get to carry a Gizmag press card. If you think you might fit the bill, we’ll be in Tokyo next week to meet up with interested parties, so send an outline of your skills to.....

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Dating sites use DNA to find your perfect match

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:56:43 -0600

If you’re looking for love online you can forget listing your hobbies and favorite books. Dating sites can now find your perfect match based on DNA. Numerous studies have revealed that chemistry, in particular body odor, plays a big part in the art of attraction, but such physical chemistry is usually impossible to identify when searching for partners online. Dating sites such as ScientificMatch and sense2love.com say they can bring chemical attraction back into the mix to increase the chances of finding someone genetically compatible with your DNA. ..

Tags: DNA, Health, Sex

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Bottle of Dalmore Oculus whisky sells for GBP27,600

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:58:21 -0600

Further proof that the GFC might be retreating and that the demon drink has indeed become a sound financial investment was the news that a bottle, err decanter, of Dalmore Oculus whisky sold for a GBP27,600 (USD47,000) at yesterday’s whisky auction at Bonhams Edinburgh (UK). ..

Tags: Bonhams, Financial, investment, Whisky

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Rationalizer: concept device brings online traders back to Earth

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:34:20 -0600

Worse than fishermen, many home-based investors can tell you about “the one that got away” – a little company that listed on the stock exchange for a few cents a share, only to become the next big thing a few months later. And then there's the reverse - the day-trader who wishes he or she had taken a time-out before committing to a block of worthless shares they bought "on a hunch". Imagine wearing a bracelet that warned you that you were positively or negatively stressed - either scared or greedy - and what you were about to do might not be entirely rational? Philips Electronics and Dutch Bank ABN AMRO have developed a concept device that does just that. The Rationalizer is an emotion sensing system designed to help serious online investors take a step back before plunging into their next transaction. ..

Tags: Bracelet, Philips, Stress

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Intel Reader turns street signs into spoken words

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:12:18 -0600

Many of us take our ability to read signs, books, magazines, menus and instruction manuals for granted, but for an estimated 55 million people in the U.S. alone who have to contend with vision impairment, dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities, connecting with the world through text is not so simple. That's a big number - almost the the population of UK - and now Intel has announced a solution for this market in the form of new book-sized device that's not your average e-reader. The Intel Reader takes photos of text, converts the words to digital format and then reads them out loud. ..

Tags: Intel, Learning

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'Fluid' the floating expo center - coming to a port near you?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:02:44 -0600

A futuristic adaptable living building called “Fluid – Amphibian Pavilion” has been proposed by architects Peddle Thorp as an exhibition center for the World Expo 2012 to be held in Yeosu, Korea. Apart from its unique design, the building has a low impact on the environment because, when the Expo finishes, this floating exhibition space can be “unhooked” and sailed away to its next location...

Tags: Australia, Concept, Design, Exhibition, Expo, Floating

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The award-winning PUYL for cyclists combines a light with a pump

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:19:52 -0600

Most cyclists would agree that the two most likely things to forget after heading out on a journey are a light and a tire pump. It would make perfect sense, then, to combine the two into one handy accessory, which is exactly what designer Kai Malte Roever has done with the “PUYL”. The bonus is that when you pump up your tires, you're also charging the LED light...

Tags: Bike, Concept, Cyclist, Environmental, Prototype

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Take a stroll through virtual reality on the CyberWalk omni-directional treadmill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:02:06 -0600

Jogging on the spot has gone high tech thanks to an omni-directional treadmill that allows you to walk in any direction while staying centered on the treadmill. When coupled with virtual reality (VR) technology it offers the potential for truly natural walking and immersion in virtual environments...

Tags: motion, Prototype, Treadmill, Virtual Reality

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Douwe Egbert’s BeMoved: are you prepared to dance for your coffee?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:25:18 -0600

You might rely on your morning or afternoon coffee fix from the office machine to get you through the day, but are you willing to dance or jump for it? You may have to, if the "BeMoved" coffee machine concept from Douwe Egbert takes off. This machine may well be the world’s first coffee machine that is operated by movement alone. Yep, looks like you are going to expend some energy in order to get your morning hit...

Tags: Coffee, Office

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Local libraries to offer free eBook rentals

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:03:24 -0500

It would come as no surprise to hear that your typical local library isn’t exactly a hive of activity these days. The availability of information online and swathes of technology capable of distracting us during quieter times has seen memberships declining. But a scheme designed to embrace modern alternatives to the weighty tome could breathe new life back into the service. Taking a leaf from Amazon’s book, if you’ll pardon the pun, select local libraries in the UK are now subsidizing conventional methods by offering eBook rentals online. ..

Tags: Amazon, EBook, Electronic reader, Kindle

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Energy generating Murakami rocking chair powers its own light source

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:01:45 -0500

Not long ago you could retire to your favorite rocking chair after a hearty evening meal and read a good book or catch up on the day’s news. But now with global warming and energy consumption going through the roof, who can relax? Thank goodness for the Murakami Chair – a rocking chair that generates enough power through its rocking motion to power its own reading lamp. ..

Tags: Chair, Kinetic energy, Murakami, OLED, Rocking

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Research highlights environmentally friendly nature of digital music distribution

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:25:28 -0500

Despite the music industry being relatively slow to catch on to the fact that accessing music online is clearly the way forwards, the phasing out of DRM and appearance of innovative new services that offer consumers more choice, convenience and easy access to tunes, suggests that things are finally falling into place. One area that is often omitted when discussing the pros and cons of online is the environment, and it stands to reason that there would be a noticeable impact when you remove the cost of both printing CDs and delivering them to the consumer. ..

Tags: Delivery, Disc, environment, Internet, Music, Streaming

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Virtual cop ‘Officer Garcia’ helps dispense blind justice

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:26:50 -0500

DNA testing in recent years has resulted in many wrongly-accused citizens being exonerated of crimes they didn’t commit. For example, investigations conducted by the Innocence Project, an organization started in New York City, led to the exoneration of more than 220 citizens convicted of serious felonies. An analysis of the first 130 exonerated revealed that mistaken eyewitness identification was a contributing factor in 101 (77 percent) of those cases. It is believed that many cases of mistaken identity are caused by police inadvertently influencing eyewitnesses as they look through photo-arrays, searching for the perpetrators. Enter ‘Officer Garcia’ – an impartial virtual detective who guides witnesses through the identification process without the risk of imparting any influence...

Tags: Avatar, Daugherty, Eyewitness, Identification, Officer, Photo, Photoarrays, University of North Carolina, Witness

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Intel Point-of-Sale by Frog Design: How shopping should be

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:16:21 -0500

Internet shopping is a true marvel of the modern age. Not only does it open up whole new worlds of temptation but it can also save you money. And it does away with annoying or incompetent sales personnel. Despite all of its benefits, buying online is somewhat lacking in one important area - you can't try before you buy, something particularly important when shopping for your clothes. However, with the Point-Of-Sale kiosk concept from Intel, the two experiences might at last find common ground to become the much-needed savior of High Street shopping...

Tags: Concept, Intel, Kiosk, Online, Point-of-sale, Retail, Shopping, Smart

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Cocoon meat and fish 'maker' wins Electrolux Design Lab 2009

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:24:08 -0500

A conceptual cooker that “makes” meat and fish has taken out first prize in the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition. Cocoon uses radio frequency identification (RFID) signals to identify muscle cells in meat and fish dishes and "grow" food in a process described as being similar to making popcorn in a microwave. ..

Tags: Design, Electrolux, food

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Become a human packhorse with the Yoke Shopper

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:33:12 -0500

As a manly man who will eschew a shopping trolley in favor of carting a multitude of plastic shopping bags (on the rare occasion I forget my more environmentally friendly cloth bag, mind you) to the car - only to find I don’t have the third hand required to find my keys and open the boot - I would probably be the perfect candidate for the Yoke Shopper. This ingeniously simple device allows shoppers to lock together a number of plastic shopping bags and carry them on a shoulder...

Tags: Bags, Design, Ergonomic, Shopping, Shoulder, Yoke

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2009 BraunPrize shines a light on young design talent

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:52:52 -0500

Young German designer Johanna Schoemaker was last night awarded the prestigious International BraunPrize during a ceremony at the company's headquarters in Kronberg. Schoemaker's elegant Clam OLED Lamp was among four worthy designs shortlisted by the jury from a field of more than 1000 entries from 54 countries...

Tags: Braun, Design, Lighting, OLED

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The cheapest iPhone dock available

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:20:08 -0500

Spent all your money just getting your hands on an iPhone or iPod touch and can’t afford a whiz-bang dock or stand to go with it? Well there’s no need to leave your beloved device simply lying about like so much deskbound flotsam and jetsam any longer, because French industrial designer Julien Madérou has come up with a stand that won’t set you back any more than the cost of a sheet of paper...

Tags: Cheap, Dock, iPhone, iPod, MadÃ©rou, Paper, Template

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Smart Grid City now online

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:18:20 -0500

Boulder, Colorado has just become the world's first city to benefit from an intelligent power supply monitoring system. The Smart Grid City system aims to make outages easier to predict and/or prevent, manage power flow throughout the infrastructure and give customers greater access to energy information and more control over how much they use. Xcel Energy constantly monitors the grid network for any irregularities, allowing the company to fix problems before they happen...

Tags: Boulder, City, Grid, Infrastructure, Monitoring, Network, Power, Smart, Xcel

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Steel 'Velcro' supports 35 metric tons, looks scary

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:02:37 -0500

A new material called Metaklett is like hook-and-loop (“Velcro”) made out of steel and much scarier. One side of the material bristles with sharp spikes and the other side has jagged steel brushes. Looking something like the mouth of a prehistoric shark, a square meter of Metaklett can support up to 35 metric tons and withstand heat of up to 800 degrees Celsius. Developed at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, researchers borrowed from the traditional hook-and-loop concept to design a fastener for extreme loads and environments such as automotive, building, or military applications...

Tags: Fastener, Hook-and-loop, Metaklett, Steel, Velcro

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Phase change materials for the perfect cup of coffee

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:02:00 -0500

You know how it is … you make or buy that perfect cup of coffee or tea only to have it go cold before you’ve finished because the phone rang or your boss interrupted your break with some urgent assignment. Well, there’s great news for coffee-lovers (and tea connoisseurs). Two German scientists have put their heads together to come up with a hot drink receptacle that keeps your beverage at the perfect drinking temperature for up to 30 minutes. ..

Tags: Beer, Coffee, Drinking, Fraunhofer, Phase change material, Temperature

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Transforming Fotel armchair rocks

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:46:09 -0500

Nothing is more relaxing than the gentle action of a rocking chair, but what is exciting about this one is not just its contemporary look, but that it will convert to a comfortable armchair in about 20 seconds. Perfect for meditating on the veranda just like grandma, or catching a quick snooze in the office. ..

Tags: Carbon, Chair, Convertible, Design, Gizmag, Office

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Stem Glass Tray - the wine-drinker's palette

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:09:06 -0500

From the category of “why didn’t I think of that?” comes the stem glass tray – a clever item for waiters (and heavy drinkers) that makes carrying up to eight wine glasses so much easier. It’s basically a tray with little holes in which you place the wine glass stems and a ninth hole for your thumb...

Tags: Glass, Glasses, Tray, Waiters, Wine

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NASA and Goodyear develop puncture proof tire for the 21st Century

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:31:15 -0500

It looks like seventies science fiction television is (finally) going to meet reality with NASA planning to set up a real Moonbase Alpha by 2020. In order to meet the heavy load/long range transport requirements of life on the moon, NASA recently teamed up with Goodyear to review and redesign some 40-year-old technology in the shape of the airless tires first seen on the Lunar Rover Vehicles of Apollo missions...

Tags: Design, Lunar, Moon, NASA, Research, Rover, Terrain, Tires, Traction, Transport, Wheel

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From AAA to D: the one-size-fits-all rechargeable battery concept

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:52:06 -0500

People think deeply about everything, even batteries. Comedian Demetri Martin, for example, decided the reason there’s no B-Battery is because it’d sound like you had a stutter asking for one. A group of Korean designers, on the other hand, has decided what the world really needs is a rechargeable nickel hydroxide battery that, thanks to a memory foam casing, can squeeze down to fit any size from AAA to D. ..

Tags: AtoD battery, Batteries, Concept, Memory foam, Rechargeable battery

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