Gaming keyboards have come a long way since the original G15. All the G-keys and the use of LCD to show player stats are ingenious additions that have become an indispensable tool for WoW fans, hardcore CoD4 players, and macro-happy gamers. Since then the market has definitely saturated. (Even MS has two gaming keyboards.)
Despite the stiff competition, Logitech hasn’t lost its edge. The new G19 gaming keyboard is the first major upgrade since the G15 revision. Improvements to the Logitech’s flagship product include full color LCD (including YouTube and VLC compatibility); intuitive creation of powerful macros; support for six simultaneous keypresses; customizable key backlighting; and two self-powered USB 2.0 jacks. Impressive features demand high price and higher power requirement, which is why the G19 costs $200 and why the G19 is the first gaming keyboard that needs an AC adapter (warning: bulky). Everything USB’s reviewer is so impressed with the G19 that any hardcore gamers with $200 to spare should run out and get one. Those who don’t take fragging too seriously should really look elsewhere.
How would you like to set your thermostat at home while you’re at the office? Wouldn’t it be nice if you forgot to turn off your water heater for a two week vacation and you were able to log on to an online portal and turn it off? How about using an energy management system for your home that charges when electricity is the cheapest and avoids the peaks where electric costs are higher? These are all scenarios that will be possible in the next 5-10 years as utilities move towards Smart Grids. The days of a mechanical meter and a visit from a meter reader are slowly approaching to an end.
I’m sure one day space tourism will be affordable for almost anyone, but at the moment it’s still a privilege reserved for those with millions of dollars to burn. But if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to take a trip on the Soyuz rocket, this Soyuz Chair is probably as close as you’re going to get. The chair accurately simulates the 3 stages of a Soyuz rocket launch as it reclines you into launch position, and presumably shakes and rumbles while you don a pair of headphones and a blindfold to help you forget you’re really just sitting in a modified recliner.
The Soyuz Chair was created by Nelly Ben Hayoun as part of the Royal College of Art’s Design Interactions Thesis Show which is currently running until July 5th.
So what does $2,600 worth of turntable buy you these days? Well if you’ve chosen the ScoutMaster II from VPI you’ll be getting a deck that attempts to minimize vibrations through sheer brute force. The belt driven platter is machined from a single block of aluminum and weighs about 20 pounds, with the whole turntable coming in at around 52 pounds. So in laymen’s terms it takes the ‘heavy things are hard to move’ approach to vibration dampening.
It also comes with the updated JMW-9T Standard tonearm which features a unipivot design which results in less friction, a tapered arm which reduces resonance and standing waves and it’s filled with a special dampening fluid to further reduce vibrations. And while $2,600 might seem like a lot to pay for a record player to most of us, if you’re an analog audiophile, it probably seems like a steal.
The easy route here would have been to find 32 old vacuum tubes and simply dress them up like standard chess pieces, but artist Paul Fryer opted to take the difficult route instead. His ‘Chess Set for Tesla’ still features 32 vacuum tubes, but they actually connect to each square on the chess board and when plugged in they show an icon on top representing what piece they are. According to the All Visual Arts site there were actually 7 of these produced, but since it was created last year I have my doubts any of them are still available.
Some people in this world have awesome parents. I’m not talking about the rich ones that buy their kids everything, but rather the kind that teach their kids to build potato guns. My mom and dad didn’t approve of such contraptions, however, the DeRose family is much cooler. Last December they decided that the potato gun they had previously built just wasn’t enough fun, so they would instead try to create a Gatling gun version.
As you can see from the video above, they did in fact reach their goal. It’s a somewhat complicated device, but will definitely turn heads at the next block party.
(Fun Monday drinking game: Take a shot whenever someone says the word “ah” or “um” in the video. Make it a double if both are used in one sentence!)
Lets say that you purchased yourself a new netbook not long ago, and come this fall you decide to upgrade to Windows 7. How exactly are you planning on doing that without an optical drive? Sure, with you being the tech-savvy customer, you won’t have too much trouble doing this. Of course not every person is going to have such an easy time, which is why Microsoft is considering releasing the next version of Windows on a USB flash drive.
I’m glad to hear that Microsoft is considering this alternative installation method. Granted, users can download their copy of Windows, but not everyone wants to mess with it. The USB drive would be simple and straight-forward. My biggest question is whether or not Microsoft would charge more for a flash drive, since they do cost a few bucks more than a disc.
By now you’re probably well aware of the 1/1 scale Gundam statue that currently towers over Tokyo, Japan, but it seems the whole country is making a concerted effort to get its citizens used to the presence of giant robot overlords. Kobe’s Wakamatsu Park is next in line and will soon have their very own 60-foot tall, 50-ton statue of Tetsujin 28-go, aka Iron Man #28. But unlike the Gundam in Tokyo, Kobe’s statue won’t move or anything, but will remain stalwart in a ready-to-defend-the-country-against-Godzilla pose.
I’ve also included a video of the statue under construction after the jump.
iPhones and iPods can be great for watching videos, but only if a single person is trying to view them. However, if you’re wanting to show something to a group of people, you’re not going to want them to crowd around your tiny screen are you? Well later this year you’ll be able to pull out a small accessory that will make your videos large enough to be viewed by all.
The Mili Pro LED projector is a cool little dock for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Just slide your iPhone into place and it will project an image roughly equivalent to a 40-inch TV. The picture will be displayed at 640 x 480, which isn’t going blow your mind with its clarity, but it will get the job done. Having something this small that hooks up to your iPhone/iPod Touch (or any other device using VGA or RGA connectors) would certainly be appealing for the business types giving presentations, or anyone else just wanting to show off video on a bigger scale. Look for this in September for around $300.
Related Tags: gaming keyboard, Logitech G19
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