Check out the Periodic Table of The Empire Strikes Back
Posted by DVICE Staff on 21 May, 2010
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Archive for May 21st, 2010
How Many Cancers Are Caused by the Environment?
Posted by Scientific American - Energy & Sustainability on 21 May, 2010
Traces of chemicals known to cause human cancer lurk everywhere. But after decades of research, figuring out how many people might contract cancer because of them remains an elusive goal.
Designer re-imagines scissors to be faster, better, easier
Posted by Megan Wollerton on 21 May, 2010
Scissors have been around for a long, long time without many major changes. So it may have been an act of hubris when designer Spencer Nugent decided to re-imagine the common household tool. Looking at the results, I’m not sure what to think.
The first obvious modification is that instead of the usual two-handled look, there’s a single outer loop and a small lever inside that you press to get things moving. Also dramatically different is the bottom blade: it remains stationary while the top blade does all the work. It doesn’t seem fair to me either, but it’s supposed to be easier on the hand and wrist.
What would turn this whole thing around for me is if the scissors were friendly to lefties as well as right-handed folks. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to decide between accidentally chopping off my finger and searching for a store that actually sells left-handed scissors. Please, Spencer, tell me you’ve found a solution to this conundrum and I’ll be first in line.
Here’s how easy it’ll be to hook up Google TV
Posted by Charlie White on 21 May, 2010
If you don’t want to buy a whole new TV to enjoy Google TV, this Logitech box will let you hook up to the new Google goodness in no time. The Logitech Google TV Companion is pleasingly small, and connects via an HDMI port and network connection to bring you Google’s upcoming enhanced interface for viewing Internet TV.
Logitech is starting to show early versions of this companion box, which will connect to your cable box, TiVo or PVR via HDMI, add its web and Flash content, and output via HDMI. We especially like the way it’ll work with our fave Logitech Harmony remotes, as well as remote interfaces on Android and iPhone, and iPad.
And check this out: there will be an Intel Atom CE4100 processor inside, which Intel says can play two streams of 1080p video at the same time. Add that to the peripherals Logitech is planning to add to the mix, and you’ll have a game-playing, movie-watching, internet-surfing, and maybe even videoconferencing, dynamo.
Via Ubergizmo
What if you could tell a battery was low just by looking at it?
Posted by Adam Frucci on 21 May, 2010
This concept design, dubbed the Hungry Battery, is a pretty standard-looking set of batteries when they’re all charged up. But unlike normal batteries, which let you know that they’re dead by no longer working, these guys actually get thinner as they lose juice.
It’s a neat idea. It would certainly be helpful to have a visual indicator of how much power is left. But the way batteries fit into devices makes this seem like it wouldn’t really work. If they need to fit in tightly when charged, would thinning down make them loose? If so, these won’t work at all. Maybe a visual gauge on the side would make more sense.
Via Yanko Design
Carbon fiber is secret ingredient in lightest soccer shoes ever
Posted by Charlie White on 21 May, 2010
In a world of incredibly light 10-ounce soccer shoes, one of these weighs 5.8 ounces. The Adidas F50 Adizero is the latest in a string of sports innovations to debut at the World Cup soccer championship, this one on the feet of Argentine player Lionel Messi.
A lot of that weight was shed by removing the insole and strengthening the outer part of the shoe. That’s complimented by the ultra-light carbon fiber upper, and plastic tech borrowed from another sport where lightness can make a big difference: cycle racing.
If it weren’t for that mild-mannered Carolina blue color, I wouldn’t mind wearing a pair of these babies. Look for the tech inside these tricky kicks to be available to the rest of us before too long, but don’t expect it to be cheap.
Via Fast Company
Take a Black and White Photo, Get a patch!
Posted by gmjhowe on 21 May, 2010
This item was filled under [ News ]
Hello again. It’s time for another photo contest! This month the
theme is a nice broad one, just to get things going after the first one
last month. Black and White This months theme is Black and White.
Try and focus on those distinctive shapes and defined shadows that make
black and white p…
By: gmjhowe
Coming soon: USB Contest
Posted by fungus amungus on 21 May, 2010
This item was filled under [ News ]
Within the next couple weeks we will be starting a USB Contest! The
rules are that the entry needs to involve USB in some way. It can be
powered via USB, transfer data via USB, or even provide power by USB. As
long as there is some USB connection being used, it can be entered. So
keep that in m…
By: fungus amungus
Tell us what you think of DVICE’s new look
Posted by DVICE Staff on 21 May, 2010
You may have noticed that things look a little different around here. It’s true: DVICE just got a makeover. We love the results — not just because our new layout is shiny and new, but because it makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. We cut out a lot of moldy old links, put in some intuitive icons, and made the site friendlier to popular social networks. With a cherry on top.
What do you think of our new look? Are the colors too hot, too cold or just right? Are the icons too soft, too hard or just right? And when did this start sounding like a kid’s fairy tale? Let us know in the comments while we take a walk in the woods with our bear friends.
World’s largest auto mall has a race track on top
Posted by Charlie White on 21 May, 2010
Those ambitious Turks in Istanbul must be planning to sell a lot of cars. They’re building the gigantic Autopia Europia auto mall, the biggest in the world, giving you a full race track on top to test cars before you drive one home.
Under construction now, the five-story, 708,661-square-foot building will have room for 200 car galleries, displaying 2526 different kinds of vehicles. Meanwhile, 24 banks will be standing by to help you pay for that dream machine, and 56 bars, restaurants and cafes await for you to think over your purchase.
It’s so big, the illustrations suggest using Segways to navigate the monstrous structure. The optimistic Turks expect 6 million visitors to Autopia Europia every year. Does this mean the recession is truly over?
Here’s a video:
Could this ‘recliner’ be the best stand for your iPad or Kindle?
Posted by Adam Frucci on 21 May, 2010
Does your iPad or Kindle need a place to hang out? How about a nice rocking chair for it? That’s essentially what the Lazy Lounger is.
What’s nice about the curved-back design is that it allows your tablet-y gadget to either be held near upright or more horizontal to the surface its on, giving you a couple of options depending on how you’re using it. Its $30 price tag seems a touch steep for a simple accessory such as this, but if you’re looking for a versatile stand, this seems to be a good option.
Lazy Lounger via Unpluggd
Obama and Automakers Looking for Even Tougher Fuel Economy Regulations in 2025
Posted by Nick Chambers on 21 May, 2010
Just about a month ago U.S. automakers, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency — working in coordination with the White House — adopted landmark regulations to relatively quickly raise the average new car fuel efficiency to 35 mpg by 2016. That process took a year to accomplish, but it represented an amazing shift on the part of automakers to lower their resistance to such a national program of emissions and fuel economy regulations… you might even say they were giddy about it.
Over the last year, not only have the automakers embraced the concept of a national program, they’ve been pushing for even higher fuel economy standards in 2017 and beyond. To me, this is truly astounding. And just today, the two federal agencies and automakers got together at the White House to put their money where their mouth is and begin the process of addressing fuel economy and emissions regulations through 2025.
Wow! Google logo is now a playable game of Pac-Man
Posted by Adam Frucci on 21 May, 2010
Google always changes up the way their logo looks on their main search page to commemorate various holidays. But today? They’ve taken it to the next level: the entire logo is a playable game of Pac-Man. Oh, my.
It was done to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man, and it is, in a word, awesome. To play, click “Insert Coin.” You can even play with two players by clicking it twice! The graphic isn’t Flash, so it even shows up on the iPhone and iPad (though the sound doesn’t). Nice.
You have to wonder how much productivity is being lost today because of this. Good thing Google did this on a Friday.
Excellent design idea: DSLR with slanted back
Posted by Charlie White on 21 May, 2010
Digital SLR cameras for advanced users cling to the traditional design of pro cameras. But now designers are taking liberties with that staid tradition, and they’ve made it easier to use, angling the bottom away from the user’s face. That’ll keep those greasy nose smudges off the viewscreen. Nice.
Designer Abel Verdezoto I. is picking on Sony’s Alpha DSLR in this example, but it could just have easily been one from Canon, Nikon, Olympus or any other manufacturer.
There’s no reason why a digital SLR camera has to look like its film-based ancestors. Come on, camera designers, let’s see what you’ve got. We’ve seen so few interesting designs for cameras and camcorders, you’d think there was some kind of barrier keeping you from innovating.
Via Yanko Design
New Mass-Screening Method Finds Additional Environmental Risks for Diabetes
Posted by Scientific American - Energy & Sustainability on 21 May, 2010
With a scan through a sample of genomes from several individuals, researchers can tease out links among genetic variations and particular diseases . These genome-wide association studies have clarified some of the genes involved in predisposing people for rheumatoid arthritis, bipolar disorder, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and other disorders, paving the way for new study and better treatments. [More]
Crohn’s disease – Research – Bipolar disorder – Gene – Disease
Seeing a new world: Examining squid stomachs
Posted by Scientific American - Energy & Sustainability on 21 May, 2010
Editor’s Note: William Gilly , a professor of cell and developmental biology and marine and organismal biology at Stanford University, is traveling with a group of students on board the Don José in the Sea of Cortez. They will monitor and track Humboldt squid and sperm whales in their watery habitats. This is the group’s ninth blog post. [More]
Biology – Stanford University – Squid – Humboldt Squid – William Gilly
Record-breaking 10,382mpg car could go from NY to LA on a liter of fuel
Posted by Charlie White on 21 May, 2010
You might not want to travel to Disney World with the kids in this 10,382mpg “car,” but with the equivalent of a liter of fuel, you could drive across America without stopping — if you had the bladder for it.
The world record of 3,836 kilometers on one liter of fuel was set five years ago at the 2005 Shell Eco Marathon. That record was smashed at this year’s Eco Marathon by Team Polyjoule, a group of French students who drove their streamlined little hydrogen fuel cell-powered car 4,896 km on the same amount of fuel.
And we thought 220mpg was impressive. Besides its fuel efficiency, it’s a beautifully designed vehicle, isn’t it? Let’s hope this kind of fuel efficiency trickles down to the rest of us before all the energy is used up.
Via Gizmag
Watch the world’s largest airship get inflated to fill a stadium
Posted by Adam Frucci on 21 May, 2010
The world’s largest inflatable airship, measuring 234 feet long and 65 feet in diameter, was just inflated for the first time inside the Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, AL. The monstrous vehicle, dubbed the Bullet 580, took a full six hours to be completely filled up.
E-Green technologies, the company behind the Bullet 580, hopes to sell them for “surveillance, communications and commercial applications.” Of course, the reason you don’t see a lot of airships around these days are because even one this large can only support a measly 2,000 pounds of weight, which isn’t much. But still, this is one impressive-looking machine.
Pippy and Roxy (DogsFriends, fostered near Bristol)
Posted by Beth on 21 May, 2010
This item was filled under [ Abandoned Pets ]
Pippy and Roxy are a delightful pair of 16 years olds who are hoping there is someone special out there who can offer a loving home to a couple of really sweet little dogs. Despite their age, they still love their walks and are also interested in eating, sleeping and pottering round the garden. Do you have room for this lovely little pair?
The 6 best MacGyver inventions of all time
Posted by Kevin Hall on 21 May, 2010
MacGruber thinks that just because he’s got a similar name, a mullet and a bomb to diffuse that he can roll like MacGyver. No way — not in our books. (He doesn’t exactly have the best track record, besides.)
MacGruber has all the ridiculous materials he needs, but he just can’t put them together like MacGyver does. Could he fix a blown fuse with a gum wrapper? MacGyver can. Check out that, along with five more of Angus’ best tricks below.
Fun toy controller lets you switch channels with building blocks
Posted by Adario Strange on 21 May, 2010
The wireless wonders of RFID technology can turn even simple toys into usable gadgets. Take this Skal media player: developed by a group hailing from Norway, it looks like something you’d find in a kid’s playroom, but it’s actually a remote control.
The Skal (norwegian for bowl) is basically a simple wooden container with sensors that can read any device embedded with a compatible RFID chip. One touch is all it takes to get the device to transmit information to a connected screen. The amazing simplicity of this device puts it on par with newer touchscreen interfaces. If the matrix table computer from The Land of the Lost got you excited, you’ll love this.
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No pricing or release date has been announced, but you can see video of the Skal in action here.
Via Design Boom
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