While the USA is busy shooting satellites out of the sky, Japan is launching new Internet service birds. It just orbited the WINDS, or Wideband Internetworking Engineering test and Development Satellite. Clever acronym. The goal of the spacecraft is to deliver high-speed access to far-flung corners of Asia where traditional, wired Internet access can be […]
While the USA is busy shooting satellites out of the sky, Japan is launching new Internet service birds. It just orbited the WINDS, or Wideband Internetworking Engineering test and Development Satellite. Clever acronym. The goal of the spacecraft is to deliver high-speed access to far-flung corners of Asia where traditional, wired Internet access can be difficult to come by.
Not everyone thinks it’s needed though, as 95% of Japan is covered by conventional connectivity. The real question, critics say, is whether or not a digital divide in Japan exists. If so, the satellite addresses it. If not, it’s a waste of metal and plastic.
The Musical SpongeBob Digital Thermometer. According to the box, it “plays SpongeBoob SquarePants Theme” while in use, and it is for “oral, underarm and rectal use.” According to me, I’m not sticking this in any place.
It’s not as large as Microsoft and Yahoo!, but EA’s bid to acquire fellow game maker Take-Two is news. After being refused a sale at $25 a share, EA is trying again at $26 a share, 64% more than Take-Two’s price per share at market closing on Friday. EA is counting on strong share holder sentiment to […]
It’s not as huge as Microsoft and Yahoo!, but EA’s bid to acquire fellow game maker Take-Two is news.
After being refused a sale at $25 a share, EA is trying again at $26 a share, 64% more than Take-Two’s price per share at market closing on Friday.
EA is counting on strong share holder sentiment to make the sale go through, but Take-Two is mulling it all over.
Take-Two is known for Grand Theft Auto, and with GTAIV coming out in just a few weeks, we know why EA wants it.
Future Retro’s Revolution Synthesizer R2 looks amazing; we totally have no use for a synthesizer, but we completely want one. With a complete aluminum construction, perfectly contrasting gun gray and white colors, as well as a smattering of blue LEDs all over, this synthesizer makes us moist in the most clichéd way possible. If that wasn’t enough to get you interested, perhaps the circular sequencer interface, which grants single handed control; the ability to play patterns forwards, backwards, upside down and sideways, as well as remote pattern selection using MIDI program change messages will have you reaching for your anorexic wallet?
A built in remix feature grants 265 variations for each pattern and song, which gives more than 65,000 possible overall patterns. Further, the sound engine uses true analog synthesis throughout and the Personal computer board has a new RAM chip, which extends the battery life from 1.5 years to a complete decade. Impressive. Unfortunately, $750 is a little too much for us to pay for a novelty Death Star control panel, but the way synthesizers go, it’s not bad at all. [Bornrich]
Need to run the latest in obsolete hardware? Try this proof of concept app called StyleTap that emulates Palm OS on your iPhone. It’s not out yet, but just imagine running Palm’s rockin’ PIM apps. Soooo hot. via ZDNet via Giz ShareThis
Need to run the latest in obsolete hardware? Try this proof of concept app called StyleTap that emulates Palm OS on your iPhone. It’s not out yet, but just envision running Palm’s rockin’ PIM apps. Soooo hot.
Ken-ichi Horie, a 69 year old Japanese sailor, is planning a solo 4,350 mile trip from Hawaii to Japan using the most advanced wave powered boat on the planet. If successful, the trip would earn him a Guinness record while simultaneously proving the viability of wave powered propulsion. His boat, the Suntory Mermaid II, turns wave energy into thrust using two fins mounted beneath the bow. These fins move up and down with the waves and use them to generate “kicks” that propel the boat forward.
The problem is that all of that new fangled technology will only manage to scrape together a top speed of 5 knots. Therefore, it will take about three months to achieve what a diesel powered boat can achieve in only one. Plus, all of the radios and electrical equipment are solar powered. Sounds pretty dangerous, but this is the same dude that made a solo trip across the Pacific in 1999 on a catamaran made from recycled beer barrels. In other words, he’s a rugged dude. [Popsci]
The Absolut Quartet is an impressive electromechanical sculpture, which was put together by Dan Paluska and Jeff Lieberman. Using ping-pong ball cannons to play a marimba, robot fingers to tinker wine glasses and a central computer to control, well, the whole lot, the two creative minds have created the first—to our knowledge—ping-pong ball based orchestra. It may not be our music of choice to chill out to, but we can’t helped but be dazzled by the majestic union of technology and music, once again. Check out the video above for some ping-ponging, ding-donging, da la la la, ting ting musical madness. Be sure to pop down to 186 Orchard st. in NYC to see it in the flesh. [MAKE]
Nintendo, the current third-place for on the internet console gaming features, just announced Wii Pay & Play. What this means exactly is still fairly vague, but Nintendo says they’ll collect “fees for some services [that] will grant us to adapt flexibly.” To us this says that they’ll start charging for some on the internet content or functionality (either for downloads or for the privilege of playing certain games online) in order to provide an even richer (read: not that lousy friend code garbage) functionality for the user. More details will surface when Pay & Play gets closer to launch. [Kotaku]
The Musical SpongeBob Digital Thermometer. According to the box, it “plays SpongeBoob SquarePants Theme” while in use, and it is for “oral, underarm and rectal use.” According to me, I’m not sticking this in any place.
Future Retro’s Revolution Synthesizer R2 looks amazing; we totally have no use for a synthesizer, but we completely want one. With a complete aluminum construction, perfectly contrasting gun gray and white colors, as well as a smattering of blue LEDs all over, this synthesizer makes us moist in the most clichéd way possible. If that wasn’t enough to get you interested, perhaps the circular sequencer interface, which grants single handed control; the ability to play patterns forwards, backwards, upside down and sideways, as well as remote pattern selection using MIDI program change messages will have you reaching for your anorexic wallet?
Ken-ichi Horie, a 69 year old Japanese sailor, is planning a solo 4,350 mile trip from Hawaii to Japan using the most advanced wave powered boat on the planet. If successful, the trip would earn him a Guinness record while simultaneously proving the viability of wave powered propulsion. His boat, the Suntory Mermaid II, turns wave energy into thrust using two fins mounted beneath the bow. These fins move up and down with the waves and use them to generate “kicks” that propel the boat forward. 
Nintendo, the current third-place for on the internet console gaming features, just announced Wii Pay & Play. What this means exactly is still fairly vague, but Nintendo says they’ll collect “fees for some services [that] will grant us to adapt flexibly.” To us this says that they’ll start charging for some on the internet content or functionality (either for downloads or for the privilege of playing certain games online) in order to provide an even richer (read: not that lousy friend code garbage) functionality for the user. More details will surface when Pay & Play gets closer to launch. [
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