The Clockwork Desk By Dale Mathis
June 19, 2008
Like something from Bioshock, Gizmodo has details of a clockwork desktop with working internal mechanism. The brain child of Dale Mathis is shaped kind of like a red tipped butterfly and although you won’t be able to pick it up from your average mail order catalogue you can have one hand made for around £10,000.
I’m not entirely sure what the mechanism is powering, or indeed what it could be used to power, but I guess that isn’t the point because the clockwork desk is a fully functioning piece of art. When you pay the premium you can have your very own design and form, which will certainly help ensure that it works in any office regardless of design.
On the functional side, this might be one seriously fancy desk, but it also has a mouse and keyboard drawer so you don’t have to clutter the top with too much. It would, after all, be a shame to mask the mechanism with peripherals as well as numerous notepads, post it notes, a pen tray, and the desktop toys that your kids buy your father’s day when they can’t think of anything else to get.
Sky HD Channel List
June 18, 2008
There’s currently more than 14 Sky HD channels, representing by far one of the best HD subscription services available. While some of these channels only air certain programs in full technicolour High Definition, a few of them are HD only so every program can be enjoyed on your brand spanking new HD Ready TV (if you’ve got one yet).
If movies are your thing, and they’re among the most enjoyable aspect of HD TV, then there are two channels for you to choose from. Sky Movies HD offers more than 280 different HD movies every single month. SKY Movies HD is a package of three movie channels transmitting in High Def. Sky Box Office HD also provides access to as many as 10 extra HD movies a week.
Sports lovers also have a good selection of channels and choices throughout the day every day while documentary and factual program lovers will revel in the selection they get. The most recent additions, FX HD and Lush HD, provide entertainment programs and Channel 4 and BBC HD are also included in the package.
All that combined with the sleeker and better looking Sky HD box and what more could you ask for?
MX Air - Precision Mouse That Looks A Bit Like A Whale
June 18, 2008
In a PC gaming environment, the onus is very much placed on speed and reaction. The last thing you need when you’re clicking the mouse buttons or trying to quickly use the scroll wheel is any lag or lapse in reaction from the mouse itself. As ever, when we’re looking at PC precision gaming equipment, we tend to first turn to Logitech.
The MX Air is, to start with, probably one of the most expensive mice you will ever see at around £100. And, in reality, it probably has more functionality than the average user will ever demand or truly take advantage of (In air hand motion sensors kind of spring to mind here) but there’s no denying it’s a seriously impressive piece of kit.
The laser precision is incredibly accurate and offers instantaneous response time, while the wave and click multimedia control detects motion in your hands and the click of the buttons. The scroll panel is designed to offer ultra fast scrolling while the Li-ion battery lasts longer and recharges faster minimising the time you need to take away from your gaming session. A 9 metre operating range means you could, if you really wanted, use the mouse on the other side of the room or even in the hallway.
Oh, and it kind of looks a bit like Moby Dick too, which has got to be a good thing.
Lego Mindstorm NXT - Serious Robot Kits
June 18, 2008
Robotics are perhaps the ultimate in sci-fi type gadgets and toys money can buy. Robot kits also represent one of the most accessible and hands on ways to be geeky that you can possibly find. If soldering and circuitry aren’t your thing then, believe it or not, Lego could be the answer.
Lego Mindstorm is a series of robot kits that can be built and programmed pretty much exactly how you want, although it does come at a premium cost. But then, you can’t expect this kind of big boy’s toy to come cheap can you?
The latest Lego Mindstorm NXT set includes an almost baffling array of sensors and control devices including 3 servo motors to control motors, a computer brain, numerous sensors, and of course some Technic Lego components to create your robot. It’s claimed that you can build your first robot in under 30 minutes but having battled with Technic lego as a kid I suspect this is a slightly deflated figure for the majority of us.
Once your robot is complete you can program it using the included software (compatible with the PC or Mac) or you can even control it using your mobile phone. Extra sensors can be purchased, and a fervent NXT community includes monthly challenges and numerous projects that you can dive into using the, ahem, basic NXT kit – costing £179. It might be a little expensive but it is a serious piece of robotic kit and incredible fun to boot.
UK Gaming Industry – The End Is Nigh
June 18, 2008
Recent reports have shown that fewer and fewer qualified professionals are entering the UK video game market, and the result is a serious slip as one of the most prolific and cutting edge games developing countries in the world. The reason is largely to do with poor quality and ungoverned degrees being offered by universities across the UK.
The image of game development may be a glamorous one, but the reality is that it centres heavily around mathematics, physics, and computer science. While there are 81 university degrees being offered in the UK only 4 of these meet standards set by the government that help ensure that the industry is well fed by graduates of the degrees.
Once possible solution, put forward by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, is the establishment of centres of excellence throughout the country. Schemes like this have been adopted successfully in other countries around the world and the result for some of those countries has been an improvement in their performance.
The UK has long been a dominant force in this profitable market, but we are slipping down the rankings having recently been overtaken by Canada and pushed back into fourth place in the worldwide rankings.
MSN I-Buddy
June 16, 2008
Spend too much time on MSN messenger? Well, who doesn’t? The MSN I-Buddy (which must be good, because they’ve incorporated the seemingly essential “i” into the name) can be programmed so that it reacts to a particular MSN buddy, using its own innovative method to let you know when that buddy has come online, sent a nudge, or sent particular emoticons to you.
We know that your Messenger can be set up to do most of this for you, but the i-buddy does it with a certain type of style and elegance. It’s heart warms when a friend comes online (ahh), it shakes lovingly when they message you (ahhhh), and it will even react to the emoticons used in a message by conveying the particular emotion to you.
Motions include the flapping of its wings, the twisting of its body, and the flashing of its lights. It certianly beats the monotonous beeping and buzzing that usually ruminates from the messenger client although if you have more than one friend on MSN then it’s quite possible that you will need multiple i-buddies each with it’s own name tag and unique interactions. Or, we could just be getting carried away.
The In-Car PC
June 16, 2008
In-car PC offers a complete in car PC system that includes features you might ordinarily expect to see in a car like Sat Nav, DVD, and audio playback, but it also offers a full PC experience with Office software, Internet connection, voice recognition, biometric scanning, and more.
The PC uses touch screen display as well as the choice of using the usual array of computer input devices like a mouse or a keyboard. Alternatively, for certain tasks you can use the voice recognition software. If you saw the review of the in-car PC on the Gadget Show then you will have seen that you can navigate, edit, and send emails quickly and easily.
As well as WiFi connectivity and 3G Internet access, the system incorporates VoIP telephony such as Skype so you can make cheap phone calls whenever you’re online.
A digital freeview TV receiver lets you watch all the freeview channels, as long as you can receive a good enough signal. If you can’t, then you can watch DVD or listen to music instead. Numerous monitors can be placed around the car that operate independently from one another allowing different people to access different media.
The use of an in-car PC in your own car might prove limited. After all, if you can’t use a mobile phone while driving I don’t think it’ll be OK to send an email either. However, those that travel frequently, or find themselves sat in the passenger seat more often than the driver seat may find it to be a really useful tool. You can obviously pull over and send that vital email whilst on the move and don’t forget it has voice recognition software to! Is this the future of in car technology? I think it could be, look out for our review of this system soon.
DS Homebrew Applications
June 16, 2008
With technological enlightenment has come a wave of modders and modifiers – people dedicated to improving our everyday technological experience or, perhaps more typically, creating useless yet extremely cool (the very definition of a gadget in some people’s eyes) additions to trusted and loved electronic equipment. They even mod Roomba’s to look like Pacman.
The Nintendo DS has a particularly active community of modders and homebrewers. A homebrew application is one that has been written by a hobbyist programmer, and not a commercial software producer. The applications on offer are quite staggering and, compared to mods, they require little intervention that might lead to the complete destruction of your DS unit or your fingers.
The Lick Media Player is essentially an iPod emulator. The touch screen displays a scroll wheel and navigation buttons and the controls are pretty much identical to the original iPod. Custom skins, shuffle mode, and the happy homebrew price tag make it a genuine alternative to the Apple mp3 playing personal audio device.
Win2DS is a really cool homebrew application that allows you to remotely view and control your desktop PC. What’s more it can also be used as a wireless gaming pad for pretty much any game you want to play.
DSOrganize is probably the first homebrew application that most users will want, or indeed need. It’s almost an operating system for your DS. A calendar enables you to store important dates and times, and set reminders for those occasions you can’t forget. Address book lets you store multiple contact details for all your friends, family, and colleagues. The to-do list is, well, a to do list and scribble pad is a quick application that lets you doodle, write, and store the information. File browser, chat client, and even a homebrew application database are also included in DSOrganize.
The DS Homebrew community is a fervent one and enables owners of the incredibly popular Nintendo handheld system to quickly download and use applications that completely change and improve the functionality of the DS.
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard
June 16, 2008
Few companies create PC gaming devices as well as Logitech and while you might have to pay a premium the Logitech G15 keyboard represent the top end of the PC gaming market. The GamePanel LCD Display shows game statistics, system information, and server notifications while illuminated characters let you dim the lights, immerse yourself completely in the game world, and still hit the right buttons. Programmable G-Keys quickly let you program a macro or custom functions while you continue playing.
The GamePanel LCD Display works with a range of the latest games providing the avid PC Gamer with essential information. You will be informed which servers your friends are playing on, how your system is running, and you can quickly access game stats without having to pause the action.
You’ll never know how you managed without G-Keys once you’ve assigned a couple of the more tedious and repetitive tasks to them. They are an absolute must in role playing and strategy games and can be programmed while you play to ensure that they’re mapped properly and that you don’t have to risk all by pausing the action.
The Logitech G15 also has cord tracks so you can keep everything neat and tidy while you’re playing, media control buttons for quick access and control of all your media files, and illuminated keys. At £70 it represents pretty much the ultimate in game playing control devices for your PC.
The Perils Of Political Blogging
June 16, 2008
Blogging has become a social phenomenon around the world and while we in the UK might feel comparatively safe to report what we like on the topics of our choice, not everybody has the same privileges. Citizens of some of the more politically unstable countries are frequently arrested for sharing their views on the political status of a country, and reporting on violence to the outside world.
It may seem an innocuous pastime and for those of us that enjoy freedom of speech, it represents a positive and largely inoffensive way to portray our message and thoughts. But, since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for comments they have made on their blogs. The arrests have concentrated around China, Egypt, and Iran and usually come at a time when political uncertainty is at its greatest and the abuse of human rights at their highest.
Alarmingly the average prison sentence of those arrested runs at 15 months and while some “only” receive fines, the longest sentence currently recorded is an eight year prison sentence. Figures have tripled in the last year, and the World Information Access report notes that the figure could be much higher, because many of the countries and conflicts face heavy censorship to the outside world.
So, next time you log onto Blogger or your own blog, spare a thought for those that don’t enjoy quite the same level of human rights.
[BBC]
