Nov
19
2008
Uniqlo Human Vending Machine Previews Our Future in the Robot Apocalypse [Humans
Posted by: admin in General Gadgets NewsIf you couldn’t make it to Times Square this morning, the clip above shows what happens when humans become vending machines. Yes, it was a stunt put on by Uniqlo, and no, it didn’t ruin shopping forever. It’s actually pretty great; first you get your body scanned to reveal your hottest and coldest parts, then no matter the result, a human trapped inside a box delivers you a warm HeatTech shirt. Uniqlo has other demos planned in Paris, Shanghai and Seoul, but if you won’t be in any of those places, at least you can rest easy knowing that you’ll still have a job when the robots take over. [Uniqlo]
If you couldn’t make it to Times Square this morning, the clip above shows what happens when humans become vending machines. Yes, it was a stunt put on by Uniqlo, and no, it didn’t
At $40,000, this Helicopter FLIR Thermal Imaging System/Infrared Imager might seem a little bit pricey, but when the eBay sellers tells you that “these units are just off a fleet-wide upgrade by a major federal government agency”, the prospect of adding it to your home-made cardboard helicopter or drug-smuggling car looks better and superior by the second. Don’t think this is your usual night vision system, however. A FLIR is much more advanced than that.
Instructables user noahw used an Epilog etcher to lase an imprint of his hands and forearms, eternally vigilant in home row position, onto the top case of his PowerBook G4. Noah says that typing on top of his own hands is “a little freaky” (as is the brownish mildewy patina on the etched keys, ahem) but if you are looking for something to bring your Mavis Beacon score up the extra five points you’ve been seeking, this could be it. [
But I am disappointed.
The Bravia World wide web Video Link was maybe the most indulgent component I had to test, mostly because I would personally never purchase this component on my own. Why?
It really is ingenious that the system works within the television’s menu system. In fact, it doesn’t even have a menu system of its own. Utilizing the TV’s XMB (Cross Media Bar), the interface is not so different than the PS3. Flipping through the list of content providers made way for a very intuitive experience in which I click any content provider that looks interesting, from AP to cooking classes. Once I choose a clip from within their menu, fast forwarding through content or skipping ahead is extremely responsive with the user interface acknowledging my commands smoothly while allowing the clips time to buffer.
Especially with Amazon Unbox (tested in beta here), we see Sony’s design touch can add a lot to the experience. While managing Unbox content is a pain on my TiVo, the Internet Link puts a pleasant icon skin on your media and has a multitude of simple to navigate categories that makes it all palatable. Plus, you get the same navigation bar in Unbox as you do in YouTube or any other of the services, simplifying the experience of viewing dozens of different content feeds. Simply, it’s the ideal presentation of Unbox I’ve seen to date.
I’m happy again. The world is rainbows and sunshine.
I knew there would be catches. Even $5 coffee guy could comprehend that the HD video would be limited to 1080i streaming, nixing the dream of watching Blu-rays in the bedroom. The second catch is even bigger. The Wireless Link transmitter does not double as an HDMI port splitter. This is a vital point, as it means that you can’t double dip your home theater to two TVs. Even if it’s 1 foot away, the components plug in to the transmitter, and the receiver accepts the data wirelessly.
OK, but I’m still enthused. After all, I didn’t pay for this stuff. So I put it through the most rigorous test I have the ability to imagine. I play the final levels of Gears of War 2, streaming my 720p component connection from my Xbox in my living room to my Television in my bedroom (sadly, a distance of only 10 or so feet). Still, the Wireless Link really impressed me.
Sony explained later that the delay between the base station and a receiver was less than one millisecond—that’s faster than most LCDs can draw the image being transmitted. Not bad, Sony. My 5GHz Wireless-N network didn’t even interfere, as you’d warned me could happen.
Even my yuppie alter ego wasn’t fooled by this one. The Bravia DVD Link may be called a link, but I know better. I know a DVD player when I see one.
So even though I have the HDMI hooked up correctly and although I know most DVD players don’t need USB connections to work, I’m sitting here, pounding on the DVD remote that does nothing (yet, the DVD menu still auto-loads with “play movie” highlighted but unclickable, which just spites me more). The techie me is upset. The yuppie me is livid pissed.
The Input Link isn’t the most glamorous of Bravia accessories, but like the others, it does hook to the back of your Television after a bit of effort. It’s a 5X1 HDMI port expander. It matches the other Links. And it’s a hugely missed opportunity by Sony if you consider it. A module like this could sync with DMXe and mount your components straight into the XMB through Sony technical magic. Instead, it just offers some extra HDMI slots. But of all the mounting components, the Input Link seemed the most at home, fitting snugly and solidly near the inputs.