Environmentaland — Hollywood’s Newest Quirky Theme Park

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Alaska Glaciers Shrinking Fast

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Arctic Ocean may be polluted soup by 2070

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$2B ‘Cash for Clunkers’ extension passes

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I have seen the future, and it’s terrifyingly convenient. Sitting behind the wheel of a Ford Taurus Lincoln MKS, I watched as its Active Park Assist system took over the steering, parallel-parking the car in a tight spot on a New York street as I worked the pedals. Ford was demo’ing the tech — which has just begun to hit the streets — in the company’s promotional campaign for the 2010 Taurus. Of all the new technologies shown off, including an upgraded SYNC system, the Active Park Assist impressed me the most.

When I say it’s terrifying, I mean it, but kind of in a good way. The first time you let go of the steering wheel while performing parallel parking, it’s very disconcerting. But grabbing hold of it will instantly cause the system to abort, so I kept my hands clear. As the instructions appeared on the dash, telling me to back up slowly, I watched as the wheel turned itself over and over, then expertly turn the other way when it was time to straighten out. As the MKS backed toward the parked car behind us, the collision warning system — which visually and audibly lets you know how close you’re getting — kept track of the whole maneuver with far more precision than I could.

More on the tech behind the system, and the key question about it, after the jump.

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While the shrapnel created by a roadside bomb or improvised explosive device is lethal all on its own, the concussive force of a blast can seriously injure, incapacitate and kill the crew of a vehicle right through its armor.

To combat the effect of blast waves, a company called Survival Consultants International has developed a wall of airbags triggered by a light sensor. Light, the company maintains, is the only thing faster than a concussive wave caused by an explosion. In a split second, the triggered sensors confer with an on-board processor on whether or not to deploy the bags, which in turn combat the force of a blast wave.

Check out a video demonstrating the airbag armor tech down below.

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model rocket version of the Viper met its untimely demise a couple of decades ago, now the enterprising do-it-yourselfers at Verna Rockets show you how to bring a flying Viper back to life.

The site helps you gather the necessary parts and instructions to fly those formidable fighters once again, with plans and instructions for a respectable custom build, right down to the realistic decals of the Red Squadron. And if you don’t like Battlestar Galactica, you can also build the SR-71 Blackbird.

Go ahead — construct a single-engine version, but notice there’s room for four engines in there, so you might be tempted to fill every one of them with solid rocket power on the bigger Hyper Viper. That’s sure to be even more exciting. For extra realism, we’d like to see these babies launching through a tube.

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Sony’s teasing us with some simulated images, claiming that its upcoming EXMOR image sensor can snag a whole lot more light than any other. Sony explains that its new CMOS sensor technology is able to choose between the most relevant photons, ending up with a much better low-light image.

Expect to see the new sensors in the Sony CyberShot TX1 ($400) and WX1 ($350) still cameras when they ship next month. Those prices are a lot higher than most other comparably equipped point-and-shoots. But hey, if it can “cull ambient photons” as well as this faked and highly suspect shot implies, it might just be worth the extra dough. This we gotta see.

BBG, via CrunchGear

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(Credit: Tesla)

Upstart Tesla Motors proved the time is ripe for a new car company, reporting a profit of approximately $1 million on revenue of $20 million for the month of July. Tesla reduced its cost to build its electric sports car, while introducing the more expensive Roadster Sport model …

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

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Always losing stuff? If you carry an assortment of expensive gear around, here’s a great idea that will assure you you’ll never again leave anything behind. DeWalt teamed up with Ford Trucks to create Tool Link, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader that electronically accounts for each item on which you place a small transmitting tag. Using two RFID antennas in the truck bed, when you press a button on the in-dash computer screen it does an electronic roll call, showing you if any of those valuable tools are missing.

This is a great idea. It would be useful beyond just accounting for tools in the back of a pickup truck. I could have used one of these when I was shooting video for a TV newscast, where we were responsible for dozens of different pieces of unbelievably expensive equipment. A tiny RFID tag on each item and this electronic accounting system would have saved us a lot of time and heartache.

If the RFID tags are small enough, this could even be useful for frequent travelers who would never have to worry about leaving something in a hotel room again. With enough transmission power, it might even be able to help you quickly locate lost items around the house. For now, this is a $1,500 option for Ford trucks, but maybe someday small RFID tags will be readable and accounted for on cellphones. Useful, unless, of course, you’ve lost your cellphone.

Via Gearlog

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trailer for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra? You shouldn’t — similar technology is being developed right now by the U.S. military, and that’s just the beginning of how military tech is rapidly evolving.

The U.S. has the most advanced military organization the world has ever known. And it’s planning to keep that status. Already dozens of federal agencies, private contractors and intensely smart and motivated people are crafting new and sophisticated weapons that will give America the high-tech edge in warfare for years to come.

Hit the jump to see what the next generation of fighting gear is going to look like — from firearms to fighter planes.

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Do you have the patience to wait 12 to 24 hours for your coffee to brew? If so, you’ve got to assume you’ll end up with a pretty excellent cup of joe. Check this out:

This is the coffee maker that brews with cold water to reduce the acid in coffee by 69.6%, producing rich, flavorful coffee. Independent laboratory tests confirm the hourglass significantly reduces the acidic compounds and tannic acids in coffee that can cause heartburn and create bitter tastes. Cold brewing produces a concentrated coffee extract that retains flavor-enhancing essential oils that are lost when coffee beans are exposed to heat.

The hourglass does not require any electricity; simply combine 2 1/4 cups of coarsely ground coffee beans with 3 1/2 cups of water in the brewing chamber and allow the coffee to infuse with the water for 12 to 24 hours. When the infusion process is complete, turn the hourglass over and 16 oz. of extract instantly drains through a reusable stainless steel filter and into the extract chamber. Combine some of the extract with hot water for traditional coffee or cold water for iced coffee. The extract can be kept in the included carafe and stored in a refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Sounds interesting if you’re that much of a coffee maniac, but I’ll just stick to my cup of sludge from the corner bodega, thanks.

Hammacher Schlemmer via Random Good Stuff

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Attention, rich idiots! Would you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a PC of indiscriminate quality just because it was coated in gold and gems? Yes? Ugh. Well, if you must, here are some.

Gaiser High End Design PCs range from $7,820 to $32,300, and it isn’t because they’ve got such great components. No, it’s because they have 24 carat parpartial gilding with gold leaf. And what happens when the computer becomes obsolete? I guess you just buy another one, right? Totally worth it!

Gaiser via BornRich

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Samsung and Sprint plan to roll out their new Reclaim, an under-$50 phone featuring a case made of corn-based biodegradable plastic, on August 16. The Reclaim features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, e-mail and Web access, a 2.0 megapixel camera and GPS navigation, and it comes in two colors: Blue Ocean and Green Earth. Because Coal Grey or Oil Slick Metallic likely wouldn’t be big sellers.

To date, most “green” phones have focused on using recycled plastics — like Motorola’s Renew and Sony Ericsson’s Greenheart — or tout corporate take-back policies and carbon offsets for phone production and shipping.

But the Reclaim is the first phone to use bioplastic — tough to do in electronics since heat makes them soften up. That’s likely why the case is still 60% non-biodegradable plastic. And even green phones won’t save you from cellphone red tape; the $50 price features a 2-year service commitment and a mail-in rebate.

via Forbes.com

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You may take being able to fill a mug up easily for granted, but for the blind it’s not so easy. Without being able to see how close the level of liquid is to the top of the mug, spills can happen easily.

This Braun Bell concept mug solves that problem by playing a chime when the liquid hits one of three levels within the mug. That way, a blind person can know when their cup is filled to the level that they want. Sure, not something that most people would want or need, but for those that do I’m sure it would be great.

Via Yanko Design

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Whether you are a techie fisherman or simply a savvy beach bum, the new Waterproof Bag for the iPhone and iPod Touch is probably something you’ve been hoping to see invented.

Designed by Sanwa, the waterproof pouch features a robust sealing mechanism to keep out the elements but still allows you to use the touch functions of the iPhone or iPod Touch as well as take photos via the rear window of the case. Although this won’t rank among the most feature rich items in your tech arsenal, it will certainly prove to be one of the most useful. You can pick up your own iPhone protector for just 3,280 yen ($34) here.

Via Sanwa

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Digiboys, athletes and calculator nerds, look away now. British designer Crispin Jones devotes some of his time to making one-off, limited-edition watches and, while they may not be as expensive as some of the timepieces we feature (Look Ma, no hands!) his quirky designs are, without doubt, highly desirable. His latest offering is the Cyclops, a one-handed watch which, as he puts it, “can be read with a relaxed kind of accuracy that offers a counterpoint to our hectic modern lives.”

I think what he’s trying to say is that it’s a watch for people who don’t really like watches. Made of stainless steel and waterproof to 5ATM, or 165 feet (although I wouldn’t advise anyone to take it scuba diving) the Cyclops has just one hand with a hoop at the tip that displays the time. Just 100 of the $185 watches have been made, and a third of them have already been snapped up.

Via Dezeen

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Sculptor Jen Maestre’s super-cool sculptures reportedly were initially inspired by sea urchins. The artist takes colored pencis, saws the sharpened tips off, and drills a hole through each one individually so they can be stitched together. Talk about dangerous art!



Link via the Daily Mail


By: Lithium Rain

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A white-hot flame surrounded by red hot exhaust shoots from a recent test of the J-2X engine ‘workhorse’ gas generator at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight…

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A coworker of mine recently sent an e-mail asking, “Why does technology seem inevitably to pull apart communities and isolate individuals?” His argument based on the assumption of Bowling Alone, that Americans are more isolated than ever. But my co-worker placed the blame for this trend squarely on the iPod and the accompanying trend of noise-isolating earbuds.

This didn’t seem fair to me. On one hand, the advent of the Internet and smartphones has changed how we communicate — we e-mail, text, video chat, IM and call more than we meet in person. This new kind of socializing could leave you lonely, or it could be a welcome extension of your varied interpersonal activities. But what about the gadgets themselves? Are they really contributing to the general isolation of the populous? I tend to think not. Read why, after the jump.

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This prototype keyboard from Microsoft might change keyboards as we know them. Or it might go over like a Segway running Vista. It all depends on the answer to this question: Is a pressure-sensitive keyboard useful?

The video above demonstrates the potential of the technology, showing practical uses like pushing harder on a key in a game to make a character run faster. It can also use the amount of force to determine whether you want to write in lower case or all-caps. My favorite: How hard you hit the Delete key determines whether you want to delete a character or a word. Presumably slamming it as hard as you can will wipe your entire drive.

Whether or not that sounds sexy to you, the idea is much closer to reality than most concepts for a few reasons: 1) A working prototype exists. 2) This is Microsoft. 3) The keyboard uses existing tech, with rubber domes underneath every key pushing three flexible membranes. Because of the design, the harder you push, the greater the area of electrical contact, which can be easily measured.

Want one of these? What would you use it for? Let us — and Microsoft — know in the comments, and look below for pictures of the prototype.

UIST 2009 Student Innovation Contest, via YouTube

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