Check out these kooky replicas of HAL 9000, that malevolent computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Can't you just seem him dancing in slow motion to his rousing rendition of "Daisy"? The little critter is so intricately detailed, his legs are able to move, kick and swivel.
Here's the good news: You can download Mr. HAL 9000 right now, and have him right there in front of you. The downside? He's a papercraft model, requiring assembly by you. No big deal if you're handy with precision cutting, pasting, assembly and gluing. But for me? I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.
Mr. HAL 9000, via The Awesomer
Unless you're a piercing fanatic, you're probably not crazy about the idea of getting stabbed when you go to the doctor's office. California company nanoBioSciences figured out a way to stop the violence with AdminPatch, a drug delivery system that uses an array of tiny microneedles that barely pierce the skin, delivering those medications to either the local area or the bloodstream.
But isn't this akin to death by a thousand cuts? Nope. The needles are so shallow and small, they don't go deep enough to hit nerve endings, so they're said to be completely painless. They open tiny channels, or micropores, for the drugs to rapidly enter, and then when the patch is removed, those micropores instantly close up to ward off infection.
This technique is not quite as slick as Dr. McCoy's air injections on Star Trek, but it's a start. Manufacturing these patches is simple and cheap, and using them is easy enough for anyone. Sure, those needles look small enough not to hurt, but sometimes the drugs themselves cause the stinging. Even so, any less pain and the lack of deep stabbing will be a welcome innovation.
Via MedGadget
There's really no reason for a coffee machine to be overly complicated. I mean, it has a pretty simple job to do: brew good coffee. But this insane contraption aims to do much more than that, seeing as it's loaded up with a Windows XP computer and an 8-inch touchscreen.
Yes, this coffee machine is accessible over the internet, just in case you're so lazy that you need to tell it to start brewing from the other room rather than getting up and doing it yourself. It seems a little too underpowered to play games on it, unfortunately, but hey, it's a coffee machine. It's a homemade contraption, so if you're interested in one you'll need to build it yourself.
Project Page, via BornRich
Why are traffic lights round? Because they're products of their time — when they were invented a spherical bulb was the only thing that would light the glass evenly. Now that there are a host of lighting technologies (like LEDs) that don't have this limitation, Art Lebedev design studio throws this idea out there: square traffic lights.
More than just a quirky take on a long-standing urban fixture, the edgy lights have a greater surface area than round lights of the same size (a diameter equal to the length of one of the square's sides). That means more light, and a better chance of noticing them from further out. Great idea, but when they arrive, can we call them traffic pixels?
With venerable print journals like PC Magazine folding into online-only operations, many old school media titans are looking for an escape hatch and Samsung may have the key. At Japan's recent FPD International 2008 tech conference, the Korean cell phone giant showed off a phone with a foldable display--a big deal given that most of the time this kind of tech is only viewed from some research laboratory.
With one display shown on a traditional cell phone panel, the phone slowly unfolds like a book to reveal a second, much wider screen. Although Samsung has yet to offer a release date for the commercial version of this product, you can check out the most likely future of your printed media via video here.
Via TechRadar
While all kinds of ocean going vessels have been adding some sort of renewable energy source recently, who would have figured that you might soon add submarines to the list?
A Swiss company called BKW has revealed plans for what they call Project Goldfish, a submarine that recharges its batteries via an island of solar panels that floats on the surface above the sub. Generating power has always been the limiting factor for submarines, and while military forces use a nuclear reactor to solve the problem, that option's not available to civilian users. By going solar, the Project Goldfish sub can stay submerged for unlimited periods, while handling up to 30 people at a time. Passengers will be able to board and leave the sub via a solar powered shuttle.
With secretive Swiss developers and a name like Project Goldfish, it all sounds a bit too much like part of some upcoming James Bond movie. Still, BKW says they hope to have the sub operational by mid 2012.
Projekt Goldfisch, via EcoFriend.org
Everyone has their favorite way to minimize the effect of jet lag, but this one's new to us. The Sleep Partner is a wrist band that according to its makers, "stimulates the acupuncture points of the wrist associated with sleep" thereby helping to reduce stress, while helping to reset your body's natural clock. I must admit to a healthy dose of skepticism, although at around 20 UK pounds (about $30 US), getting one to try out is unlikely to break the bank.
Expert Verdict, via Red Ferret Journal
This week, DVICE was all green. We took a look at 7 promising new green-power technologies and also the 10 best ideas for greening your home that you've never heard of.
We also did a bit of reverse fortune-telling with 5 tech predictions from 1968 that were dead-on (and 5 that were completely nuts), and Fidgit, our gametastic sister site, added 10 dos and don'ts for upgrading your Xbox 360.
More green stories from this week:
SHIFT: How President Obama could create a New Deal for clean energy
Obama's really giving the power to the people — and he wants to hear from you.
Wave-powered Searaser to store enough energy for 470 homes
With 43,000 of these buoys in place, we could power 20 million homes.
Eco-friendly lightbulbs get a designer makeover
Plumen bulbs: unraveling the ice-cream-like shape of green lighting.
The energy used to run video game consoles could power San Diego for a year
You don't have to retire your console, though you can be smart about how you use it.
Solar-powered Key Hole Light illuminates your door lock for easy night entry
See what you're doing, and make your door look good while doing it.
UbiGreen, a cellphone app that knows if you're in a plane, train or automobile
Watch a tree grow the greener you are — right on your cell phone.
Current, via Neatorama, via Gizmodo
Gone is the dark and sultry seduction of the catwalk, and in its place are bright pastels, clouds, and clothes fashioned after LEGO playsets. Fashion designer Jean Charles de Castelbajac tossed hats made from LEGO bricks onto models who know how to rock them, looking at the picture above — and I'm pretty sure I had a LEGO person as a kid who had a similar bellhop jacket as the one on the right.
Click Continue to see a digital re-imagining of a Jean Charles de Castelbajac's LEGO fashion show.
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As the world converts to high-def TV, we're now hearing rumblings of YouTube jumping into the act. The notoriously bad quality of YouTube videos could soon improve — in fact, some clips on the explosively popular video streaming site are already viewable in sweet, sweet 720p.
You've probably noticed the uncharacteristically great-looking quality of the embedded video above, a higher-rez version of that entertaining "Where the Hell is Matt" video. This is proof that Google and YouTube are at least experimenting with 720p video. There's even talk of 5.1 surround on the way, too.
It might be a while before all YouTube videos look this good, a factor not only of YouTube's server bandwidth, but also of viewers' download speeds, as well as the HD production capabilities of most video submitters. Still, it won't be long when standard-def videos will be the exception, not the rule.
Via Epicenter
We've mentioned Project Better Place before, the company that plans to create a network of charging stations and battery exchange locations for electric cars in Denmark, Israel and Australia. Backed by super-rich investors, now it's planning an ambitious expansion into the San Francisco Bay area. The idea is to build a $1 billion network of 250,000 charging ports like you see here, 200 battery-swap stations, and a driver service center.
The remarkable aspect of this grand scheme is that most of this infrastructure is targeted to be operational by 2012. The three big-city (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) Bay Area mayors are on board with the idea, especially since this high-tech goodness won't cost them a cent. They will offer incentives for companies to install the chargers, and offered to expedite building permits to speed things along.
Meanwhile, Better Place will sell Renault-Nissan cars as part of the plan, and car companies such as GM and Toyota are interested in the idea, too. Tesla says its upcoming Model S sedan will be compatible with the swappable batteries and charging stations, adding that its battery will charge in the time it takes to fill a car's tank with gas. Better Place's remarkable move shows that the electric car scenario could fall into place quicker than anyone thought.
Mercury News, via Treehugger
If you like thumping bass, you know you need a pretty heavy-duty subwoofer to get your kicks. But what if you're using headphones? There's no room for subwoofers in those, so you've got to just deal with the lack of thumping when you're on the go. Or do you?
Skullcandy has a new limited edition set of Skullcrushers, new headphones that are designed with the bass enthusiast in mind. They have a subwoofer on each side, pumping out enough bass to keep your totally satisfied. Sure, they won't rattle the frame of your car or announce to the entire neighborhood that you're arriving like a 15-incher in your trunk, but take what you can get here.
Skullcandy, via ShinyShiny
We all have a lot of stuff cluttering our homes. You know, stuff that serves a purpose but doesn't look too nice doing so. Like your router. It's essentially a little plastic box with blinking lights. Sure, it's very useful and you wouldn't want to be without it, but couldn't it look a little better?
That's the idea behind this wireless router vase from Saudi Arabia based STC. It's a fully functioning wireless router, but it also happens to be a pretty nice looking flower vase. As long as you're willing to ignore the obvious issues with filling an electronic device with water, it's a pretty slick looking object. What do you think, would you rather have this or a traditional router?
Now here's a modification that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Someone went and crammed a Nintendo 64 into their Wii. I don't get this for a couple of reasons. For one, you can download most of the good N64 games to the Wii via the Virtual Console. And there's no way he was able to do this while leaving the guts of the Wii inside, making this basically just a white N64.
Here's a tip, Wii owners: just use the Virtual Console. You don't need to keep those cartridges around, and you'll be able to play games from basically every Nintendo system from one box. What this mod does is decrease the functionality of the original, which I don't think should be the point of any good mod.
eBay, via Wii Fanboy
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