Electric bikes are moving up in the world — they’re now receiving a breezy embrace from public radio. On a recent airing of NPR’s All Things Considered, Senior Correspondent John McChesney featured the E-bikes and found out the difference between a fully powered e-motor and his own pedaling will. His early verdict: E-bikes make him wheeze, but delightfully, and not as much as regular bikes. In the segment, McChesney talks with a few commuters that fit one specific e-bike profile: older and slightly out of shape. (Read the full post about ‘NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’ Features Electric Bikes’…)
by Donald Melanson, posted Aug 27th 2008 at 1:26PMWhile it doesn’t appear to be nearly as serious as some of the computer problems the International Space Station has faced, it looks like a virus has managed to find its way onto some of the laptops used on the Station, which NASA is now describing only as a “nuisance.” According to SpaceRef.com, the virus is the W32.Gammima.AG worm, which is normally used to swipe sensitive information for online games. As Wired’s Threat Level reports, the worm has also spread to more than one laptop on the Space Station, which would seem to suggest that it has either been spread via an on-board intranet, or via a thumb drive. (Read the full post about ‘Space Station laptops catch “nuisance” virus’…)
Are you bored at the office? I’m sure we’ve seen plenty of remote controlled toys in the past, but that won’t stop me from adding the R/C Mini Tank to our annals. R/C Mini Tank is the coolest racing car you have ever seen. It is designed in the military tank shape. It can be charged on the remote control which is powered by 3pcs AA batteries only. Just install the batteries and enjoy playing it with your friends. Here comes with Green Tank and Camouflage Tank. It certainly doesn’t look too professional, and too bad there are no laser fights you can hold with this, otherwise you and your mate could build an elaborate obstacle course, waiting for someone to make that fatal move first. (Read the full post about ‘R/C Mini Tank’…)
by Darren Murph, posted Aug 27th 2008 at 7:20AM One thing’s for sure: DLO’s pretty attached to its HomeDock brand, and evidently it could care less about just how confusing these naming schemes are to customers. Let’s clear some cobwebs real quick — this isn’t the HomeDock Pro, nor is it the HomeDock HD. Rather, it’s the HomeDock HD Pro, a glorious combination of the two (or something). Aimed at home theater enthusiasts and home installers alike, this upscaling iPod dock takes stored content to 720p or 1080i over HDMI, and you’ll also find an HDMI extension socket, optical digital audio port, RS-232 control connector and IR output for supporting universal remotes. (Read the full post about ‘DLO introduces HomeDock HD Pro: its latest upscaling iPod dock’…)
by Darren Murph, posted Aug 27th 2008 at 10:08AM We’ll be honest — we still kind of prefer the days when hacking Wiimotes and other household gadgets was the preferred method for extracting more enjoyment from one’s vehicle, but we suppose there’s no stopping progress. Starting in 2009 (a few years too late for the Fast & Furious crowd), General Motors will begin to offer up a $295 Reconfigurable Performance Display option in the Cobalt and HHR SS. Said display will enable easily distracted drivers to quickly see how many Gs they’re pulling, enable / disable Traction Control, Stability Control and Competition Mode, and get a visual on boost, cam phaser angle, spark advance, engine torque, etc. (Read the full post about ‘Reconfigurable Performance Display to show off engine stats in select GM cars’…)
Ask any dad and he’ll tell you that he wears many hats, and among the more popular ones would be that of a driver - at least until the kid is old enough to drive. Enter the Dad’s Cab novelty taxi meter. Gifts for dads don’t come much better than this Gift of the Year Award winner, Dad’s Cab. Dad’s Cab is a novelty taxi meter that comes with an assortment of forfeit cards that overworked dads can dish out to their blood-sucking children by way of a bill. Payments include ingenious tasks like ‘tidy your room’ and ‘make dad a cup of tea’ – that’s no more free rides for the kids and some well-deserved rewards for dad! (Read the full post about ‘Dad’s Cab novelty taxi meter’…)
In private beta testing mode since January, the England-based ProofHQ has just opened it’s program up to the the public. What makes it so appealing to so many is the obvious allowance for collaboration. ProofHQ makes this simple with the use of several formats on the web. Blogs, social media applications…users are able to comment and give feedback on a project that can be seen by anyone working on it by using embeddable objects. There is no cost for this new personal version, unless you want to upgrade to a more advanced package that offers more storage. The free package only allows for five proofs a months (50 megabytes of storage), and the upgrades run anywhere from $29 to $99 a month. (Read the full post about ‘Cloud-based collaboration app ProofHQ moves to public beta’…)
For those that haven’t heard of it before, Shelfari is a social network for people who love books. You can build a virtual book shelf showing the books you’ve read, are reading or want to read. Other virtual bookshelves are viewable allowing you to discover new titles you may not have known about, but from people with similar interests.
It may come as no surprise to learn that Amazon has announced it has acquired Shelfari. A new post on the Shelfari blog explains it all, saying:
As many of you may already know, Amazon has been a long supporter of Shelfari.
If you’re interested in picking up Dell’s new Inspiron 13 range of notebooks, then head over to the PC manufacturer’s website. This 13.3″ consumer-level notebook will come with the following :- An Intel Core 2 Duo processor Up to 4GB DDR2 RAM Up to 320GB hard drive Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics DVD burner 2 megapixel webcam Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity 8-in-1 memory card slot ExpressCard slot Prices start from $699 upwards, depending on the hardware configuration of your choice. (Read the full post about ‘Dell Inspiron 13 Available For Purchase’…)
Nikon has announced its hotly anticipated new DSLR, the D90, and it turns out that yesterday’s rumors were spot-on. First, the numbers: 12.3 megapixels, Live View, face detection (which Nikon describes with some hyperbole as being able to “render up to five faces with newfound sharpness”), a maximum ISO of 6400, a DX sized (ie. non full-frame) CMOS sensor and 4.5 fps shooting. The one thing we didn’t see coming, though, is the movie mode, a world first for DSLRs. Using the feed from the Live View mode, the D90 will capture 24 frames per second at up to 720p resolution (1,280 x 720 pixels). We foresee a lot of debate over this. Some will call it a “toy” feature, not suitable for a serious camera like a DSLR. (Read the full post about ‘Nikon D90: First SLR With Hi-Def Movie Mode’…)
