Darpa funds invisible, shoot-through shield
Darpa funds invisible, shoot-through shield –Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
In a move seemingly influenced in equal parts by Halo and David Lynch’s film Dune, Darpa has announced that it’s ponying up $15 million to develop one-way-invisible, self-healing, shoot-through shields for use in urban combat. While the Pentagon’s research division acknowledges that there are “significant technical obstacles” in the process, it’s fairly gung-ho about developing a technology combining metamaterials, ‘coded’ obscurant systems, and a bunch of other stuff no one really understands. Trust us, you’ll thank them if the Harkonens try and overthrow your spice-mining operation.
[Via Digg]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
[EnGadget]
It All Comes Together: Laptop roundup
It All Comes Together: Laptop roundup –
- Secure your laptop with the LaptopLock
“Don’t let the creep who stole your computer paw through your private files, passwords and personal information.”- Turn a t-shirt into a keyboard cover
“Great for saving your lappie’s screen from keyboard scratches with an old or free tee, this project requires only a bit of cutting, ironing and sewing.”- Stuff We Like: Laptop CushTop
“Man, there’s nothing worse than frying your thighs with a hot laptop in the middle of some very important web surfing.”- DIY magnetic power connector
“If you’re familiar with the MagSafe magnetic connectors on the new MacBooks, this is a DIY version for Thinkpads.”- Use your laptop as a giant clock
“To always end your presentation on time without glancing at your watch (a gesture that communicates to the audience that you can’t wait to finish and leave), place a laptop on the floor in front of where you’re speaking, and set it up to display a giant clock.”- Make your own laptop stand
“I’ve always liked the iLap laptop stands, but I’ve never been able to justify the price…”- Laptop Troubleshooting Tip: Re-seat your RAM
“…the moral of the story might save you a trip to the computer hospital..”- Video demonstration: Fix your wine-soaked laptop
“Save your laptop from the heartbreak of liquid spills.”- MacGyver Tip: Silence your laptop with snipped headphones
“Repurpose those old crappy earphones into a laptop silencer.”- How to secure your laptop for air travel
Pack laptops with soft foam or bubble wrap and place laptop bags inside other luggage to protect them from rough handling and to keep them inconspicuous.”- Use your cell phone as a modem
“You’re stuck with the laptop in the land of no Internet, but you’ve got unlimited minutes or a great data plan on your cell phone.”[LifeHacker]
Helio Ocean Graffiti Hotness
Helio Ocean Graffiti Hotness –I’m a Sidekick 3 fanboy through and through, but Helio is definitely making its case. I’ve had an Ocean for a few weeks now and I’ll admit that I love it. The GPS feature is hot and it definitely helps me out when I manage to get lost in NYC. I came across some really cool vids that Helio has put up on Youtube and I thought I’d share it with everyone. This particular video is of STASH and his ongoing mural for the Ocean on the Upper West Side of NYC. Not only is the art hot, but the music by Lady Tigra will rock you out. Check out all the other Helio vids here.
[CrunchGear]
Foxconn Brings DirectX 10 To The Broke Masses
Foxconn Brings DirectX 10 To The Broke Masses –
So you’ve got your Windows Vista and you want to get a hold of a little bit of that DirectX 10 action, but your bummer of a video card is being a buzz kill? That sucks. You’re supposed to upgrade that, but who’s got that kind of scratch laying around? Those cards cost an arm and a leg and probably some other stuff. Sit down, dweeb, Foxconn’s got you set.
Today the silicon-card maker announced two new cards made for DirectX 10 based around the Nvidia GeForce 8400GS. And they both fall in the sub-$100 category. Sure, that could mean $99.99, but it’s still a good deal. The cards are pretty much the same, though one has 256MB RAM whilst the other has a wimpy 128MB.
We don’t have a lot of details, just that they exist and will hit the market soon. Their maxrez (that’s maximum resolution, n00b) is 2,560×1,600, which is totally respectable. The core clock is 450MHz with 850MHz on the memory clock. I don’t expect you to understand that, but it basically means they’re not the fastest around, but still plenty speedy for under a Benjamin. Word.
Foxconn Announces Nvidia GeForce 8400GS Cards [ExtremeTech, via Slashgear]
[CrunchGear]
Featured Linux Download: OS X style widgets with Screenlets
Featured Linux Download: OS X style widgets with Screenlets –
Linux only: Open-source app Screenlets runs Mac OS X-style widgets on the Linux desktop.
Practically identical to Dashboard widgets and Windows Vista gadgets, Screenlets are small under-the-desktop apps including RSS readers, weather reports, sticky notes, etc. that add a great deal of functionality and convenience mixed with a dash of eye-candy. Screenlets play very well with Beryl and include a bunch of location preferences like always on top, always underneath, etc. Additionally, with the widget plugin for Beryl, you can hide and show your Screenlets exactly the same way you can with Mac OS X widgets.
While there aren’t nearly as many Screenlets as gDesklets, kDesklets, or aDesktets, Screenlets tight integration with Beryl makes it a must have for desktop app lovers. Screenlets is a free download for Linux only.
[LifeHacker]
Microsoft flip-flops again: now no Vista Home on Macs
Microsoft flip-flops again: now no Vista Home on Macs –Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
We’ve seen our fair share of flip-flopping in the past, and Microsoft is yet again adding its name to the frowned upon list by retracting previous intentions to allow Windows Vista Home and Home Premium operating systems to run under virtualization. After reportedly stating that it would “change the EULA after listening to customer feedback on the issue,” it appears that the suits in Redmond have thought better of said decision. Now, the firm has “reassessed the Windows virtualization policy and decided that maintaining the original policy announced last Fall” would be best. Ben Rudolph, Parallels director of corporate communications, noted that he was “obviously disappointed” in Microsoft’s change of heart, but if the two-faced Mac users out there can persuade Google to take their side, we’re sure this little spat could be cleared up in no time.
[Image courtesy of ElliottBack]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
[EnGadget]
Ralph Lauren unveils “touch-sensitive window shopping” in London
Ralph Lauren unveils "touch-sensitive window shopping" in London –Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets
Alright, the whole touchscreen thing is getting a little out of hand. In the latest example of touch-frenzy, luxe clothier Ralph Lauren is converting a large window at its London flagship store into a giant touchscreen shopping experience as part of its Wimbledon marketing campaign. Much like Microsoft’s Big-Ass Table, the 78-inch window is coated with touch-sensitive foil, and the image is beamed onto it by a hidden projector — allowing users to purchase Ralph’s latest duds and even take in a tennis lesson or two. Purchases are paid for via phone or email the next day — so you can’t explain away that $75 pink polo by saying you accidentally brushed the screen.
[Via Switched]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
[EnGadget]
youtube-dl 2007.06.22 (Default branch)
youtube-dl 2007.06.22 (Default branch) – youtube-dl is a small command-line program for downloading videos from YouTube.com.
License: MIT/X Consortium License
Changes:
This release adds support for the new international YouTube sites in the video URL.
[FreshMeat]
BetterAWstats 0.12 ALPHA (Default branch)
BetterAWstats 0.12 ALPHA (Default branch) –BetterAWstats is an Web server log analysis tool that provides better statistics from the data provided by AWstats. It is not a replacement for AWstats. The most significant features are rolling months and days, and support for new types of charts (pie, max/min, etc.).
License: GNU General Public License (GPL)
Changes:
Last month daily data was fixed for the case where current has no hits. The menu sorting was fixed for vertical layout. A different format for external links is used now. Unknown browsers and OS are now interlinked with respective tables. Slashes in OS icons were fixed. All functions and globals were renamed to baw_* to make sure they work when betterawstats is included into other projects. Highlighting of current month/day was fixed. Var fixes were applied. A configuration option for inclusion in other projects was added. Datelist-creation was improved.
[FreshMeat]
Shiny new Dell XPS M1330 pics
Shiny new Dell XPS M1330 pics –Filed under: Laptops
You’ve seen a little of it before, and you know it’s coming, but here’s a few more photos to hold you over. Finally, a Dell you can take out in public.
[Thanks, Chris]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
[EnGadget]
