Philips has been dabbling in multicolored LED lighting for a while now, but now it’s topped itself with a second generation. LivingColors v2 is 50% brighter than the original. Combining seven LEDs, it blasts 16 million colors, letting you infinitely adjust the hues with which your environment is lit.

On the fixture itself, you can still choose that transparent look of its predecessor, but v2 offers you an additional opaque version, concentrating all the light exactly where you point it. See both in the gallery below.

We like the way Philips experiments with lighting, and LivingColors take it to the next level. We’re looking forward to the day when these chic fixtures retail for less than their price of between $230 and $350.

Via Gizmodo

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Growing algae for use in biofuels has a greater environmental impact than sources such as corn, switch grass and canola, researchers found in the first life-cycle assessment of algae growth.

Interest in algae-based biofuels has blossomed in the past year, sparking major investments from Exxon Mobil Corp. and Dow Chemical Co. , and it has gained steam on Capitol Hill, as well. But the nascent industry has major environmental hurdles to overcome before ramping up production, according to research published this week in Environmental Science and Technology .

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No need to wait years for that single-seat electric plane from NASA — Yuneec offers the e430, a two-seat electro-plane that’s been flying for the past six months, and will be ready to buy next year. If the company delivers on its promise, this electrically powered plane could change the world, costing just two dollars per hour to power its flight.

The first planes will cost $89,000. That’s not too bad as far as private planes go, and who wouldn’t want to fly in a low-noise, emissions-free e430? Nice. If its whisper-quiet engine is too loud for you (or if you’ve run out of power during its 1.5- to 3-hour flight time), the plane’s 25:1 glide ratio will give you plenty of time to find a place to land.

If you’re wondering about its existence and ability to fly, here’s some music-laden video proof that keeps us from discerning how quiet it really is:

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To quote Tango’s foster carer, “If you were to list all the qualities you wanted in a dog, Tango would meet them all. She loves being around people and she is a pleasure to have around.” Oh, and she’s good with dogs, children and possibly cats too! Do you want a toy-loving Tango to cuddle?

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Ion Audio takes cheap camcorders in a unique direction with Twin Video, a double-lens/dual-mic video camera that records two images at the same time. You can choose to record one image full frame with another picture-in-picture in the corner, record a split screen, or switch from one full-frame shot to another, alternating shots like a real TV director.

Too bad you can’t record two video streams — one from each lens, full frame, simultaneously. Aside from its dual-lens capability, it operates pretty much like most other small and cheap camcorders, recording on SD and SDHC cards. Ion Audio hasn’t announced pricing yet, but vows to ship Twin Video during the second quarter of this year.

Here’s a video from Ion Audio (that groundbreaking company that brought us light-up USB cables!), not quite showing us exactly what this camcorder can do:

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This is car news, and it isn’t. But it is definitely…interesting.

Detroit was once the 4th largest city in America and it held the title of Motor City because most of America’s cars came from there. Flash forward 40 years, and Detroit’s population has dwindled from a high of 2 million people to just over 800,000. The average price for a home in Detroit is $15,000, the lowest in the country. With so many empty spaces, criminals have no shortage of hideouts and drug factories. And with America’s auto industry still reeling from the recession, as well as having outsourced many jobs to other states (or countries), the future looks bleak for Detroit’s long-deferred recovery.

Unless one millionaire gets his way, and turns the city into farms. Yes, farms.

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Hyundai/Kia is one of my favorite automakers right now, probably because they used to be one of my most hated. But both brands have come a long way in terms of style and quality, and are now poised to take a bigger role on the world automotive stage.

Kia in particular seems to be branding itself the more thrilling cousin of Hyundai, as some of their recent concept cars have shown. This latest teaser of the plug-in hybrid “Ray”, as it is being called, doesn’t reveal much, but certainly makes me want to see more.

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Today’s cars are so full of computerized electronics, one serious electromagnetic pulse could stop any car built after the mid-’70s in an instant. Canadian company Eureka Aerospace might be able to do that with its High-Powered Electromagnetic System (HPEMS). It’s a suitcase-sized electromagnetic pulse (EMP) cannon that immediately disables a car or truck from 656 feet away without hurting the driver or innocent bystanders.

This EMP cannon is said to be ready for a demo next month. So far, the prototype is too unwieldy to place in a police car, but the idea is to shrink the device to the size of a handgun. That will make it easy to mount in police helicopters, cars, and military vehicles, potentially putting an end to deadly high-speed chases, and stopping suicide bombers from a safe distance.

This could be a fantastic development. We’re wondering if it’s possible to aim the pulse at one specific vehicle, or if all vehicles in the vicinity would be disabled. On a crowded highway, that could create a gigantic traffic snarl that would take hours to untangle.

Here’s a video:

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Travelers, if you haven’t already thought of this, here’s a solution to a lost cellphone charger predicament that could save the day: If you’re staying at a hotel (or for you dishonest types, even if you’re not), go to the front desk and ask if they have an extra [insert your cellphone type here] charger. Your chances of success are excellent, because most hotels have a huge box full of almost every type of cellphone charger in existence.

According to one hotelier with lots of experience with this: “You have no idea the size box we have of chargers left behind. 90% are idiot Blackberry chargers. This works 100% of the time, we never verify anyone stays here — we just let them go shopping for their charger. Hell, we even give people a charger if they call down to the front desk and say they forgot theirs!”

For those with lost chargers who’d like to remain honest and don’t have an immediate need, many replacement chargers can be bought online for as little as a dollar. Well, unless they’re for Apple products. Overall, charger replacement will be a whole lot easier when there’s just one standardized charger for all cellphones (except iPhones), maybe coming in 2012.

Via Gizmodo

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When you’re building a car, how do you test your design before you actually build it? Well, you could spend $80 million on a gymnasium-size simulator, or, if you’re Ford, you could just use state-of-the-art special-effects software to create a 3D virtual reality for simulated test drives. Ford’s been using VR tech in its Virtual Evaluation Lab in Michigan since 2005, and now they’re collaborating with NASA’s chief contractor to take it to the next level.

The simulation tech is essentially the same software used to create the 3D world of Avatar. Space-shuttle supplier United Space Alliance (USA) uses it to run simulations to improve mission safety (at least they will until the shuttle is retired later this year). They’ve already given Ford tips on improving response time, and the carmaker returned the favor, schooling USA on how to better simulate actual people. Maybe James Cameron should be taking notes.

Via Ford

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Get yourself a piece of history with that US Airways Airbus A320-214 that Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger ditched in the Hudson a year ago. The remains of Flight 1549 are up for auction at Chartis Aviation Salvage. Once you’ve reattached the wings and cleaned it up a bit, it looks like it’s in pretty good shape, albeit with “severe water damage throughout airframe,” and “impact damage to the underside of aircraft.”

You’d have trouble flying this crate (especially since they’ve stripped out the avionics and removed the engines), but it sure would make a spectacular museum piece, another airplane hotel, clubhouse, or writer’s lair. We’re thinking US Airways should just give this to Sully, setting it up in his backyard as a trophy of his extreme pilotude. Or maybe a zoo would buy it, filling it with Canada geese for a unique aviary exhibit.

Chartis, via CrunchGear

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Ben is a real star of a dog who has captured the hearts of all the staff and volunteers at NAWT. He is loving, sociable and well behaved and is happy to share his new home with other dogs and cats, but is not used to children. What a wonderful companion he will be for some lucky people.

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Beautiful Abby really looks like she is enjoying playing in the snow. She is seeking a quiet retirement home after living with the same owner all her life. She can be a little nervous at first, but once she gets to know you, she is a playful and loving girl. She hopes that you will take the time to get to know her before taking her to her new forever home.

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Dave is a cute little Yorkshire terrier who is 17 years old. He still enjoys going out for a short stroll and a sniff, though his main priority at this time in his life is a nice warm place curl up and nap until it’s time for his next meal! Can you offer little Dave the home comforts and love he deserves?

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This horrifying little contraption is an “Eye Pod.” And that’s not just a clever pun! It actually functions as an iPod, somehow! It’s a modification of an old iPod Nano, and it can be worn on the wrist or set on its base, either playing music out of its little Victrola horn or through headphones.

How, exactly, do you choose music? I don’t really know, but I assume it involves touching that eye. Uh, awesome?

Flickr via Technabob

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Methane ranks only behind water vapor and carbon dioxide among principal greenhouse gases , in terms of its abundance and global warming potential. Even though it is less abundant and has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, methane in the atmosphere accounts for nearly 20 percent of the heating effect of greenhouse gases compared with carbon dioxide’s 50 percent. And similar to CO2, methane in the atmosphere emanates from both anthropogenic and natural sources. [More]

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It’s hard for the doctors of Doctors Without Borders to do their work in Haiti. Its infrastructure has been devestated by the earthquake, making electricity and water hard to come by. That’s why they’ve developed what they’re calling “Plug-and-Play Hospitals,” which are inflatable tents with generators and sanitation equipment that can function without connecting to any grid.

It’s an amazing setup that’s doing essential, heroic work. If you can, donate to Doctors Without Borders to help them keep doing it.

Doctors Without Borders via Boing Boing

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Attention, ladies: are you looking to get the attention of all the boys? OK, how about just the geeky boys? Well, you could do a lot worse than dressing up like an old-school Nintendo controller.

Liz Tan did just that, making her own NES Controller dress that is downright awesome. And just think of all the lame “push my buttons” and “do you know the code?” jokes you can make with this! Amazing.

Flickr via The Daily What

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Two typical German shepherds kept as pets in Europe or the U.S. consume more in a year than the average person living in Bangladesh, according to research by sustainability experts Brenda and Robert Vale of Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. So are the world’s environmental ills really a result of the burgeoning number of humans on the planet–predicted to reach at least nine billion people by 2050? Or is it more due to the fact that although the human population has doubled in the past 50 years, we have increased our use of resources fourfold ? [More]

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Here’s my conclusion: the only strong evidence we have that Oklahoma Senator James M. Inhofe isn’t a clown is that his car isn’t small enough. As I write in early December, the Copenhagen climate change conference has just begun. And Inhofe, that gleeful anarchist, says he is going to Copenhagen to try to sabotage the affair.

Inhofe has famously called climate change “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” (Actually, the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people was Lord Amherst’s distribution of smallpox-ridden blankets, but I digress.) But he has also called global warming the “second largest hoax ever played on the American people after the separation of church and state.” Well, it’s good to know that the senator is capable of revising his theories after he acquires new information, a necessary condition for a truly scientific worldview.

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Can you help Fudge, the handsome collie cross? He has sadly been unable to experience a proper doggie life so far. He is a lively boy who is only 7 years old and really deserves a chance to shine. He would thrive in a loving and active family environment. He gets along with other dogs and children.

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