Mild News

Real Iron Man

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:09:00 +0000

While audiences flood theaters this month to see the comic-book-inspired Iron Man, a real-life mad genius toils in a secret mountain lab to make the mechanical superhuman more than just a fantasy with the XOS Exoskeleton

Utah. A secret mountain lab. Software engineer Rex Jameson backs into a headless metal suit that's hanging from a steel I-beam by a thick rubber cord. He clicks into the aluminum boots, tightens belts across his legs and waist, and slides his arms through backpack-like straps, gripping handles where hands would be. It looks as easy as slipping into an overcoat.

Then he moves, and the machine comes to life, shadowing his every motion. He raises his fists and starts firing sharp jabs while bouncing from one foot to the other. He's not quite Muhammad Ali, but he's wearing 150 pounds and he looks light.

He could easily knock a nearby coder to the floor, or fling one over a desk—but even more impressive, he could do it all day. To show off his superhuman endurance, he walks over to a weight rack and yanks down a bar loaded with 200 pounds. Then he does it again. And again. He stops somewhere around 50, but he's been known to rip through 500 reps in a row. Even then, he quits out of boredom, not fatigue.

It's fantasy versus reality, and the spread is shrinking. The latter, the XOS, is the latest and arguably most advanced exoskeleton in existence, developed by one-man idea factory Steve Jacobsen and the engineers at Sarcos, a robotics company he started in 1983 that was recently purchased by the defense giant Raytheon. The flame-throwing monster? That's the star of the superhero blockbuster Iron Man, due out May 2. The film follows a prolific inventor named Tony Stark who builds a robotic suit of armor that grants him fantastical abilities. Iron Man has been thriving in comics for more than four decades, but this is Hollywood's first go at the story. And the timing couldn't be better. Not only is Iron Man—a hero born of pure engineering—the perfect idol for our gadget-obsessed era, but for the first time since the character appeared, the suit is more than just an illustrated dream.

In the past seven years, a handful of engineers have taken the military's 40-year-old fantasy of mechanically enhanced soldiers that can carry heavy loads and begun to make it real. Funded with millions from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), Jacobsen and others have finally begun marrying artificial muscles and control systems into suits that could soon be available to soldiers, firemen and the wheelchair-bound. There are still serious challenges—powering these wearable robots, for one—but Sarcos's XOS, the most capable full-body suit, one that moves seamlessly with its wearer, has even the comic's creators feeling like the real world is catching up to their vision. After Adi Granov, one of the main illustrators of the comic and a consultant to the film, watched a clip of the suit in action, he was startled. "I knew that's where we were heading, but I didn't realize we were this close," Granov says. Aside from the lack of flight and weapons, he adds, "that's Iron Man."

source : http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-04/building-real-iron-man

The Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:03:00 +0000

Uno accelerates with a simple lean and turns like a street bike on side-by-side wheels
Uno
Cost to Develop: $45,000
Time: 2 years
Prototype | | | | | Product
Just before his plane dipped into the clouds above Beijing International Airport two years ago, Ben Gulak caught the last clear view of the sun that he would see for two weeks. On the ground, the 17-year-old, who was on a family trip to China, quickly spotted a source for much of the thick haze hanging over the city: smog-spewing motorbikes. Thousands of them, everywhere. “Right then,” he says, “I decided that I wanted to create an alternative mode of transportation, something clean and compact.”

EASY RIDER : Ben Gulak sits on his self-balancing electric “unicycle” outside his home near Toronto. Photo by John B. Carnett

When he got home, Gulak drew up a plan for an all-electric unicycle that would emit no fumes and, he figured, be easier to weave through crowded streets than a standard two-wheeler. To give the ride more stability, he put the wheels side-by-side just an inch apart and directly under the rider, who accelerates by leaning forward, as he would on a Segway. When the rider leans into a turn, the inside wheel lifts and the outside wheel lowers, so both stay firmly on the ground.

Gulak put off college for a year (now 19, he enrolls at MIT this fall) and began building the Uno at a motorcycle shop outside Toronto. He modified the frame from a Yamaha R1, which is wider than most motorcycles, so it can house the side-by-side wheels. But he quickly realized that he was out of his depth in the electronics department: He would ride the Uno for a few seconds, and the circuitry would catch fire. So he contacted Trevor Blackwell, a robotics engineer who specializes in self-balancing software. With Blackwell’s help, Gulak equipped the Uno with a gyroscope and a control system that both keeps the rider balanced over the tires and manages the suspension.

The Uno’s two wheelchair motors should, theoretically, give it a top speed of 40 mph, but for safety’s sake, Gulak hasn’t taken it above 15 mph yet. “The only way to figure out if an alteration works is to jump on and ride the thing,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I chipped my kneecap in one crash.”

Gulak’s next task is reworking the suspension to handle more drastic leans, but he says he may need some help writing the code that keeps the Uno balanced at faster speeds. “The fundamental tech is figured out,” he says. “It just needs the right people to tweak it.”

source : http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-05/zero-emissions-one-wheeled-motorcycle

A Skinny PC, Fat with Features

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:58:00 +0000

Voodoo's Mac Air-killer has room for more goodies, including an extra operating system

While the MacBook Air showed how slim a laptop could be, the Voodoo Envy ($2,100; voodoopc.com) demonstrates how much can fit in that space. Using the same compact CPU as the Air, the carbon-fiber-clad Envy measures just 0.7 inch thick—a tad thinner than the Mac at its thickest point. And it packs in more features, including a slot for high-speed cellular data cards, two USB ports, and an HDMI port for attaching to a high-def TV.

To keep all that hardware cool, a fan sucks in air below the keyboard and splits the stream to the right and left to separately chill the graphics card and CPU.

Also cool: The Envy has two operating systems. The slow-starting Windows Vista provides a full suite of applications. But for quick access to basic programs such as a music player, you can boot up Linux in about five seconds.

Source : http://www.popsci.com/gear-gadgets/article/2008-06/skinny-pc-fat-features

A Motorcycle You Can Wear

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:51:00 +0000

This motorized exoskeleton concept looks like the lovechild of Ironman and a Segway—but is it the future of transportation?

The tripod is a fine and stable construct for photography and navigation, but how well will it work for motorcycles? We're not sure,
but one student at California's Art Center Pasadena is challenging singletrack motorcycles and typical three-wheelers with an anthropomorphic, Yamaha-branded three wheeler concept called the Deus Ex Machina.

The forward-looking personal conveyance is a mobile exoskeleton propelled by in-wheel electric motors—or, more succinctly, a trike you can wear.

The machine's motors get their juice from a hybrid power pack of doped Nanophosphate batteries and ultracapacitors. It's straight from the imagination of Jake Loniak, who foresees acceleration of zero to sixty in three seconds and a top speed of 75 mph. It also has seven artificial vertebrae, 36 pneumatically activated "muscles" and an attached helmet, just the thought of which gives us a phantom neck ache.

source : http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2008-05/motorcycle-you-can-wear

Motorola ROKR E8 Music Phone

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:56:00 +0000

First rumors about the upcoming Motorola ROKR E8 started circulating a couple of weeks ago. Ant it looks like they were true. MOTOROKR E8 does really exist and comes with that interesting back lit touch keyboard and a novel navigation device called “Omega Wheel” for music and menu navigation. And, so that the touch wouldn’t confuse you, E8 ROKR is equipped with a haptics controls, that makes the phone give you vibration feedback, whenever a key is pressed.

Motorola ROKR E8 is a GSM/GPRS phone with 2 megapixel camera, 262K color QVGA display, 2 GB of internal memory and microSD memory card slot, FM radio and 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Source : www .unwiredview.com/2007/09/18/motorola-rokr-e8-music-phone/

Motorola W230

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:43:00 +0000

Tell the world you’ve arrived without saying a word. The handy W230 serves up both great mobile phone basics and a fantastic music experience, in a candy bar handset that you can show off with pride. Friendly features on the W230 such as long-lasting battery life, a mighty music player and Motorola’s proprietary CrystalTalk™ audio-enhancing technology gives you a dependable experience.

Everything to Stay Connected
The W230 goes beyond basic phone features with multiple ways to stay in touch and up to approximately nine hours of talk time1. It can pack up to 500 text messages and phone contacts, and features an enhanced user interface, making it easy to create a text with one click. The W230 also offers Hinglish predictive text and regional support for seven African languages. Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology enhances each phone call by helping reduce background noises, so calls will be loud and clear.

Raising the Candy Bar
Value and a great music experience come together in true harmony on the W230. Clean lines and a slim design make it extremely pocket-portable and the no-nonsense keypad and large color display are simple to use. The W230 struts its stuff in two pleasing color faceplates, licorice outlined in lustrous silver and dark titanium gray bordered in mandarin, that consumers can interchange at whim.

It's Always Time for Music
The W230 proves its value even further with music features that keep consumers connected and entertained, including a dedicated music key. Consumers can make their ears dance with both an integrated digital audio player that supports MP3 and other popular formats, and an FM radio with RDS that can be played in stereo through headphones or on the W230’s office-quality internal speaker. Store favorite songs on optional removable microSD cards with up to 2GB of memory and download new songs over the air via quick GRPS speeds.2,3

MP3 player in a cassette form

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Gadgets are getting old in no time, and what today is called "amazing gadget" tomorrow will be ordinary, the day after tomorrow - old and outdated. The era of portable music player began with cassette tapes more than 20 years ago. Today, such things as "cassette players" are hard to find, they all gave up their positions first to CD players, now to more compact and modern MP3 players. However, car cassette players can be seen in many old cars, sometimes they are built-in, and sometimes car's owner does not want to spend couple of hundreds for a new audio system. Fortunately, there is a way to modernize such audio players without buying new ones. Just add one gadget, and it will be possible to play MP3 files on your old cassette player.

This gadget is known as Cassette MP3 Player. It is made in old and recognizable form of a cassette, and the good thing is, it can be inserted in your cassette player and it will play like an ordinary cassette! Only with one difference: music will be played from the SD card, which can be inserted into this gadget. The controls are simple - you press fast forward on your cassette player - the next song will be played, you press reverse - previous. Gadget is fully standalone; it has a audio output so you can use it like an original and unusual MP3 player if no cassette players are around. In addition, it has internal Li-Ion 450 mAh battery that is recharged through built-in USB port. Unfortunately, no SDHC support, so you are limited to 2GB of storage. In any way, it is WAY much bigger than an ordinary cassette can offer in terms of audio capacity.

This gadget can be a great choice if you want to give your old player a new life for a reasonable price. Ability to use gadget as a standalone MP3 player makes it more interesting to buy than regular tape-shaped gadgets with line input ports. This old-school MP3 player can be bought for /.99, which is much cheaper than new car MP3 player is.

Source : www.gadgets-reviews.com

IRON MAN

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:09:00 +0000

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Theatrical Release: May 2, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $223,124,385

Synopsis:

For both comic book fans and those who can't tell the Green Lantern from the Green Arrow, IRON MAN is the type of summer blockbuster whose appeal lasts far beyond the season. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy and genius who puts as much effort into chasing skirts as he puts into chasing his next big idea. A trip to Afghanistan to sell weapons quickly devolves into chaos, and Stark finds himself at the mercy of a warlord who wants him to build a missile. Instead, Stark creates a powerful suit of armor, turning him into Iron Man and allowing him to escape. When he returns to America, his assistant Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow), friend Rhodey (Terrence Howard), and right-hand man Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) all marvel at the change in the man they knew. IRON MAN is the first film to be self-financed by Marvel Studios, and they should be proud of their freshman effort. They didn't take any obvious routes with choosing the cast or crew, and it pays off. Director Jon Favreau, who also has a small role in the film, is best known for directing ELF, but his first action-driven effort is nearly flawless. Casting Downey was gutsy but inspired: this is his first big action picture as well, but the wit he displays in films such as the cult hit KISS KISS, BANG BANG works perfectly for the character of Stark. IRON MAN features nods to its beloved source material, as well as to the classic animated series of the 1960s. But even for the uninitiated, this film provides an interesting entry into the Marvel superhero's universe. Audiences who keep watching after the credits have rolled will be rewarded with a bonus scene.

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow

Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matthew Holloway
Producer: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Composer: Ramin Djawadi

Source : www.rottentomatoes.com

Michael Johns - Across The Universe [American Idol]

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:23:00 +0000

Michael Johns Sings Across The Universe On American Idol...Michael Johns Across The Universe American Idol Beatles

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The Worst American Idol Auditions Ever(MUST SEE)

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:54:00 +0000

america perform for the juges and get serious abuse.....The Worst American Idol Auditions Ever serious abuse juges perform america singers simon cowell at and

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Imagine - David Archuleta

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:36:00 +0000

Archuleta selected 'Imagine' by John Lennon. And it was in every respect a knock out performance. He showed his range as a great singer and also, his ability to touch the hearts of millions with his voice.

David Archuleta made me fall in love with the song. Such beautiful lyrics about humanity and brotherhood. Beautiful!!

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DAVID COOK WINS! American Idol 7 Finale - Time Of My Life

noreply@blogger.com (tokecan) — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:11:00 +0000

David Cook Wins American Idol 7!
After his win he performs "Time of My Life" during the Finale results episode of American Idol on May 21st 2008. Top 2 winner David Cook vs. David Archuleta

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