Lets say that you’re a big Halo fan, and you want to reconstruct the helmet worn by the main protagonist. It’s a pretty detailed helmet, which means you’re going to need some serious skills in the area of molding plastic. That, or you can dig out that box of Legos hiding under your bed, and construct something awesome.
Sound like a difficult undertaking? Well Ben Calukins did just that very thing, and it turned out pretty awesome. Heck, in some ways I almost like the lego version better than a nice smooth reproduction. The only piece of that was not constructed from the tiny plastic bricks is the visor, which is a modified motorcycle helmet visor.
For better or worse, Flip has stuck to their guns when it comes to being the easiest to use pocket camcorder on the market. While the majority of its competitors have found a foothold in the market by filling the holes where the Flip is lacking, it still remains incredibly popular. Even we have pointed out the Flip’s shortcomings time and time again, like the lack of an external mic port which would make it considerably better for activities like conducting interviews. But at the same time, if my dad ever decided to get his YouTube on, the Flip would easily be my first recommendation to him.
So while not necessarily caving in to the feature-packed peer pressure of its competition, Cisco has recently improved the Flip in a way that still keeps it dead easy to use, but also makes it more appealing to those who’ve always wanted more…
I’m not here to fuel the debate over what’s the superior dessert, cakes or pies, but let’s just say that pies have taken the lead in my books now that I can whip up a batch in just 8 minutes from the comfort of my office chair. Of course I’m sure the lameo instructions for this Personal Pie Maker will caution against using it anywhere except the kitchen, but that isn’t going to stop me!
It includes a pastry cutter for making the perfect sized pieces of dough to fit the 4-inch molds, and when you close the lid the edges of the pies are automatically crimped and sealed for you. No baking experience required! Their compact size also means the pies can be eaten by hand saving you the mess of having to juggle a plate and fork while trying to fill out your expense report. Available exclusively from Williams-Sonoma for $79.95.
Designed primarily for use on ‘other worlds’ where AAA isn’t readily available to change a flat tire (yet!), NASA and Goodyear worked together to develop this new spring-based tire that was recently honored with an R&D 100 award, which Goodyear’s press release refers to as the “Oscars of Innovation.”
The airless tire is constructed from 800 load bearing springs which allow them to carry loads up to 10X heavier than the wire-based tires developed for NASA’s lunar rover many years ago. While the benefits of the new tires also makes them suitable for applications here on Earth, they were primarily designed for off-world exploration where traditional rubber tires are problematic. Not only do they perform differently depending on the temperature (which can have extreme variations on a place like the moon) but unfiltered solar radiation degrades them more quickly, which can lead to deflation. To borrow a phrase from Timex, these new spring tires can ‘take a licking on keep on ticking’ since thanks to redundancy they’ll still operate efficiently even if some of the springs are damaged.
Using an old theatrical stage magic technique invented in the 1860′s by magician John Henry Pepper (Pepper’s Ghost) this Palm Top Theater accessory for your iPhone or iPod Touch lets you enjoy 3D content without the need for any kind of glasses. Well, kind of. You see it’s kind of a pseudo-3D effect that involves layering 3 different layers of video or animations using half-silvered mirrors at 45 degree angles. Without the accessory on your idevice the video being played back just looks like 3 separate animations stacked on top of each other. But when viewing it from the proper angle through the i3DG, the videos end up overlaid on each other, giving the illusion of depth.
The i3DG was invented by a media artist named Jitsuro Mase, and while you can’t actually buy one, if you happen to be in town for the Rotterdam Film Festival early next year you will have the chance to check it out in person.
We recently received a few cases from iLuv, which I was very excited about…at first. Upon opening the package, I saw that we had received three different kinds of cases falling under the name of: Glacier, Spectrum, and Silk. Catchy names for pretty much the same case with slight differences.
The Spectrum is a silicone case that comes in a variety of colors, and although its squishy, silky feel is appealing, its ability to stay on the phone was not so great. It can take a hit on the sides and back, but the case slides off the corners easily. It is extremely comfortable, and can save your phone from a little damage, but as an overall case I wouldn’t recommend it.
Originally rejected from the iTunes App Store over a year and a half ago because the developers had to ‘hack’ their way into accessing the iPhone 4′s camera, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Phone app was only recently finally approved after Apple loosened their restrictions a few months ago. Now while it’s not the first app on the market to detect a user’s pulse, most of the other options out there use the iPhone’s microphone to listen for sound like a stethoscope, and since the iPhone 4 isn’t purpose built for that application, they rarely work that well.
Pulse Phone however has the user place the tip of their index finger over the iPhone 4′s flash and camera lens, which illuminates the finger and allows the app to detect subtle color and brightness changes as blood pulses through its veins. The app works on older, flashless, versions of the iPhone or iPod Touch, but you’ll need to use it in a well it area for it to be effective. But thanks to the iPhone 4′s flash, you can even use the app in complete darkness. It’s brilliantly simple and clever in my opinion, and while there’s a big warning when you first load it up that it shouldn’t be used for medical purposes, from my own testing it’s pretty darn accurate. Pulse Phone is available as of last week on the iTunes App Store for just $1.99, making it an inexpensive yet very impressive party trick.
To start the week, we’re looking at a fairly high-end XPS 14 laptop from Dell with a Core i7 CPU, 8GB DDR3 ram, a 2GB GeForce GT425M graphics car, 256GB SSD and a 9-cell battery. After a $374 rebate, the machine is yours for $1,099 shipped. And to sweeten things up a little bit, you also get a Sony DSC-H55/B digital camera, itself a roughly $200 value.
Dell XPS laptops feature anodized aluminum display back, a brushed aluminum palmrest and diamond cut trim around the keyboard and touchpad area. Also sporting: a Skype-certified 720p HD webcam, JBL designed & certified speakers with Waves MaxxAudio and optional backlit keyboard, integrated TV tuner, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, 9-in-1 Card Reader, USB 2.0/eSATA combo port with PowerShare
We first brought you one of ELP’s fancy-schmancy laser based turntables way back in early 2006, and I guess as laser turntables go, there wasn’t much room for improvement since the company is only just releasing a new version next March. Now I wish I could tell you what exactly was new with their latest model, besides a champagne colored housing, but since I’ve never had the chance to play with one of the older models, I’ve no idea why current users would be inclined to upgrade.
But like they say, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, so the new LT-2XNP still uses ELP’s 5 laser pickup system to ensure there’s no further wear and tear from playback on your precious vinyl. Two of the lasers target the left and right shoulders of the groove for tracking purposes, two more are used to actually read the stereo track at 10 microns below the shoulder and the final laser constantly measures the distance between the laser head and the surface of the record to account for any warps or distortions. And since the economy of scales hasn’t really kicked in, nor will it probably ever with this kind of product, when available the LT-2XNP will sell for $19,100, though older models have subsequently enjoyed a price drop.
Related Tags: DIY, Gaming, LEGO
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Originally rejected from the iTunes App Store over a year and a half ago because the developers had to ‘hack’ their way into accessing the iPhone 4′s camera, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s 
